barret

plural barrets

1. historicalA kind of fitted cap worn by medieval soldiers.

   Philip was dressed simply in black velvet, having a barret-cap of the same, with small chains of gold.

   1857, Cassell's Illustrated History of England:, page 370

   3 more examples

   His head was surmounted with a barret cap, while his hands, limbs, and feet were covered with garments of chamois leather, over which he in general wore the ponderoous and complete armour of his country.

   1832, Walter Scott, Count Robert of Paris, page 206

   For arms they wore upon the head a barret cap of steel net-work, instead of a casque; and their weapons were a sword and pike, a little shorter than what is this day used by the companies of arquebusiers; in addition to which many of them carried three or four darts for casting with the hand.

   1845, Roger de Flor (fict.name.), The fortunes of Roger de Flor: or, The Almugavars, page 27

   The large cross-handled sword of the warrior was leaning against the side, and on the ground lay his shield, axe, and portions of his armour' and there was a crucifix and beads, —while on a tall spear was flung a barret-cap, and the golden spurs and chains were suspended overhead.

   1848 August 12, Edwin F. Roberts, “Sir Bevis of Lea”, in Reynolds's Miscellany, volume 1, number 5, page 77

2. historicalA floppy beret-like cap worn by musketeers.

   The Volunteer Jäger Detachments wore the Musketeer's uniform, often with a 'Barret' . This beret was a large floppy field cap, coloured black.

   1972, David Nash, The Prussian Army, 1808-1815, page 85

   1 more example

   the maxillary muscles enormously developed, an infallible sign by which a Gascon may always be detected, even without his barret-cap — and our young man wore a barret-cap, set off with a sort of feather; the eye open and intelligent; the nose hooked, but finely chiselled.

   1878, Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers, page 1

3. The flat cap worn by Roman Catholic ecclesiastics; a biretta.

   The priestly leader wears the chasuble and stole, and often the pluvial besides; his head is covered with a barret.

   1889, John McClintock, James Strong, Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, page 613

   1 more example

   The "cap of maintenance" or "cap of estate," still borne before the British sovereign on state occasions, is a barret-cap of the type of the 14th and 15th centuries; it is of crimson velvet, turned up with ermine.

   1910, The Encyclopaedia Britannica, page 980

plural Barrets

1. A surname.
2. A male given name from French.

   Ms. Murati sat down with Mr. Schoenholz and two other founders, Barret Zoph and Luke Metz.

   2026 January 22, Cade Metz, Kalley Huang, Mike Isaac, “The A.I. Start-Up Soap Opera Riveting Silicon Valley”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 22 Jan 2026