pith helmet

American  

noun

1. a hat made of dried pith or cork covered with cloth, worn in the tropics.

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pith helmet British  

noun

1. Also called: topee.   topi.  a lightweight hat made of pith that protects the wearer from the sun

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Etymology

Origin of pith helmet

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

Among her many dancers, I spy a nurse, an astronaut, a UPS delivery guy — even a dude in a pith helmet.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2026

In the show we find him turning the design for a divination board into a tea tray, and carving a portrait of a British official dressed in conspicuously snazzy Yoruba slippers and a pith helmet.

From New York Times • Oct. 16, 2022

The worst in this category was the pith helmet she wore in Kenya, on the same 2018 tour that included her Egypt moment, as well as several other appearances in olive drab and safari gear.

From Slate • Feb. 2, 2021

Today, such activism seems as passé as a pith helmet.

From Scientific American • Feb. 1, 2021

Beowulf, too, looked unhappy, and began to chew on the strap of his pith helmet.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood