headwrap

plural headwraps

1. An article of headwear in the form of a piece of cloth of any convenient shape, such as a scarf, a strip, a triangle, or a square, variously secured, typically by knotting.

   On her head was the usual three-cornered headwrap, which in the hands of the negress becomes a turban.

   1900, Samuel A. Hamilton, The Vengeance of the Mob, Abbey Press

   3 more examples

   When Queen Anne came to the throne the fontage had already dwindled in height and width until it appeared more like a cap, over which the ladies threw a black lace or silk fichu or headwrap.

   1922, Florence Anslow, Practical Millinery, Sir I. Pitman & Sons, Limited

   An erect old man who wore a tasseled, purple headwrap of native weave, came in, followed by six younger men. Four of them had machetes, two carried muskets.

   1940, Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen's Magazine, Abbey Press

   This is the single most useful headwrap to know about. It's one of the simplest, yet manages to look quite different each time you vary the size/ shape/ pattern of scarf you're using. It can be a square or long and narrow, but it has to be big enough to wrap around your head and have enough length to twist and tie...The two below show variants. The head, left, is wrapped in a 45" square of sheer cotton; the right in a 14" X 60" thin wool scarf.

   1988, Outlet, Make it with Mademoiselle, Harmony Books, →ISBN