tam-o'-shanter

[tam-uh-shan-ter, tam-uh-shan-ter]

noun

1. a cap of Scottish origin, usually made of wool, having a round, flat top that projects all around the head and has a pompon at its center.

tam-o'-shanter

/ ˌtæməˈʃæntə /

noun

1. Also called: tam.  tammy. a Scottish brimless wool cap with a bobble in the centre, usually worn pulled down at one side

Word History and Origins

Origin of tam-o'-shanter¹

First recorded in 1880–85; named after the hero of Tam O'Shanter (1791), poem by Robert Burns

Word History and Origins

Origin of tam-o'-shanter¹

C19: named after the hero of Burns' poem Tam o' Shanter (1790)

Example Sentences

Several pretty candle-shades, two doll tam-o'-shanter caps, and three calendars in water-colours were laid aside finished, as the result of that afternoon's work.

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"Still pretty cold in the North Sea?" he ventured, with an eye upon the tam-o'-shanter.

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Her red tam-o'-shanter was white with plaster.

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He wore a hat that was something like a tam-o'-shanter, and something like a mortar-board, and he carried a large slate under his arm.

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A young lady with dark hair, that wears a blue tam-o'-shanter.

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