Meanings
nounhatbox (plural hatboxes)
plural hatboxes
- A piece of luggage for a hat; a case or box for a hat.
A green and pink plaid hat box contains eight more hatboxes that can be stacked like a set of Russian nesting dolls.
1991 May 30, Emily Gwathmey, “Storage Box: Catchall's New Life as Eye-Catcher”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 14 Dec 20241 more example
Get a whiff of the models that served our grandfathers well: They now combine the must of a midcentury hatbox with the musk of 21st-century body spray.
2015 November 24, Troy Patterson, “The Winter Hat Trick”, in The New York Times Magazine, archived from the original on 26 Feb 2019
Origin
- Englishhat
- Late Latinbuxis
- Proto-West Germanic*buhsā
- Old Englishbox
- Middle Englishbox
- Englishbox
- Englishhatbox
Translations
German Hutschachtel
- Hutschachtela piece of luggage, case, or box for a hat
Greek καπελιέρα
- καπελιέρα (kapeliéra)a piece of luggage, case, or box for a hat
Irish bosca hata
- bosca hataa piece of luggage, case, or box for a hat
Italian cappelliera
- cappellieraa piece of luggage, case, or box for a hat
Spanish sombrerera
- sombrereraa piece of luggage, case, or box for a hat
Cite this entry
APA
hatbox. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hatbox
MLA
“hatbox.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hatbox. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hatbox,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hatbox.
Source: hatbox on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.