cloche

plural cloches

1. A glass covering, originally bell-shaped, for garden plants to prevent frost damage and promote early growth.

   Old window screens were shade cloth; flattened cardboard and carpet offcuts were weed matting; plastic bottles, when sliced in half, became little cloches to fit over seedlings to keep them warm.

   2023, Eleanor Catton, Birnam Wood, page 21

   Synonyms: handlight, garden glass

2. A bell-shaped, close-fitting women’s hat with a deep rounded crown and narrow rim.

   Faux 19th-century bartenders in sleeve garters and baroque facial hair ply their trade in pre-Prohibition bars. Women wearing cloche hats order sidecars at speakeasies.

   2011 October 3, Wayne Curtis, “From Tiki to Tacky—and Back”, in The Atlantic

   Synonyms: cloche hat

3. A tableware cover, often resembling a bell.

   Pistachio and date-filled cakes glisten under a glass cloche as customers drinking cardamom tea settle into brightly tapestried pouf chairs at the Pouya café and cultural center in Paris.

   2025 June 27, Colette Davidson, Mark Sappenfield, “For Iranian diaspora in Europe, the war back home is a dilemma”, in The Christian Science Monitor

4. historicalaeronauticsAn apparatus used in controlling certain aeroplanes, consisting principally of a steering column mounted with a universal joint at the base, which is bell-shaped and has attached to it the cables for controlling the wing-warping devices, elevator planes, etc.