red hat

noun

1. the broad-brimmed official hat of a Roman Catholic cardinal, symbolic of the office or rank of a cardinal.
2. a cardinal.

red hat

noun

1. the broad-brimmed crimson hat given to cardinals as the symbol of their rank and office
2. the rank and office of a cardinal

Word History and Origins

Origin of red hat¹

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

Some were nice, like when people in elevators chuckled over Otto’s expressive eyebrows sitting beneath his bright red hat with a green stem shooting out the top, and we got to explain that it was his “Tom-Otto” hat knitted by one of my students.

From Time

The potentate had countless red hats, green hats and blue hats.

From FiveThirtyEight

The potentate has countless red hats, green hats and blue hats.

From FiveThirtyEight

The Countess bowed stiffly to the red hat, and the red hat responded with eager fulsomeness.

From Project Gutenberg

She eloped in a hat, a big red hat, three white feathers—one hundred and seventy-five dollars.

From Project Gutenberg

He was dressed in yellow, sulphur-coloured robes, with a high-peaked conical red hat on his head, which was shaven.

From Project Gutenberg

But the conferring of the red hat always takes place at the hands of the pope in a public consistory.

From Project Gutenberg

“I for my part, to tell the truth, do not think that the Red Hat is my highest honour,” he was accustomed to say.

From Project Gutenberg