petasus

American  

[pet-uh-suhs] / ˈpɛt ə səs /

Also petasos

noun

• petasuses
  plural

1. a broad-brimmed hat worn by ancient Greek travelers and hunters, often represented in art as a winged hat worn by Hermes or Mercury.

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petasus British  

/ ˈpɛtəsəs, ˈpɛtəsəs /

noun

1. a broad-brimmed hat worn by the ancient Greeks, such as one with wings on either side as traditionally worn by Mercury

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• petasuses
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of petasus

1590–1600; < Latin < Greek pétasos, akin to petannýnai to spread out

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

petasus

Upon his head he had a petasus, or broad-brimmed hat of gray felt, fitting close to the skull, with a long fall behind, not very unlike in form to the south-wester of a modern seaman.

From The Roman Traitor, Vol. 1 by Henry William Herbert

On his head he wore a petasus of hyacinthine hue, out of which sprang three peacock's feathers.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, 1920-05-05 by Sir Owen Seaman

Where are you going?” he continued, as he saw his friend take down his broad petasus.

From Callista : a Tale of the Third Century by John Henry Newman

His petasus is slung at his back, meaning that the clouds are not yet opened or expanded in the sky.

From Lectures on Art Delivered before the University of Oxford in Hilary term, 1870 by John Ruskin

It is a statuette, apparently of gold, or, more probably, of bronze-gilt—a figure of Mercury, obviously, its head being surmounted with the petasus or winged hat, the usual accessory of that deity. 

From A Changed Man; and other tales by Thomas Hardy

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