Bonnet Definition & Meaning

American

British

Scientific

Idioms

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms bonnet 1 American [bon-it] / ˈbɒn ɪt /

noun

1. a hat, usually tying under the chin and often framing the face, formerly much worn by women but now worn mostly by children.

2. Informal. any hat worn by women.

3. Chiefly Scot. a man's or boy's cap.

4. a bonnetlike headdress.

   an Indian war bonnet.

5. any of various hoods, covers, or protective devices.

6. a cowl, hood, or wind cap for a fireplace or chimney, to stabilize the draft.

7. the part of a valve casing through which the stem passes and that forms a guide and seal for the stem.

8. a chamber at the top of a hot-air furnace from which the leaders emerge.

9. Chiefly British. an automobile hood.

10. Nautical. a supplementary piece of canvas laced to the foot of a fore-and-aft sail, especially a jib, in light winds.

verb (used with object)

1. to put a bonnet on.

Bonnet 2 American [baw-ne] / bɔˈnɛ /

noun

1. Georges 1889–1973, French statesman.

bonnet British / ˈbɒnɪt /

noun

1. any of various hats worn, esp formerly, by women and girls, usually framing the face and tied with ribbons under the chin

2. Also called: bunnet.

   1. a soft cloth cap

   2. formerly, a flat brimless cap worn by men

3. the hinged metal part of a motor vehicle body that provides access to the engine, or to the luggage space in a rear-engined vehicle

4. a cowl on a chimney

5. nautical a piece of sail laced to the foot of a foresail to give it greater area in light winds

6. (in the US and Canada) a headdress of feathers worn by some tribes of American Indians, esp formerly as a sign of war

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Bonnet Scientific / bô-nĕ′ /

1. Swiss naturalist who discovered parthenogenesis when he observed that aphid eggs could develop without fertilization. Bonnet was also one of the first scientists to study photosynthesis.

bonnet Idioms

1. see bee in one's bonnet.

Other Word Forms

• bonnetless adjective
• bonnetlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of bonnet

1375–1425; late Middle English bonet < Middle French; Old French bonet material from which hats are made, perhaps < Old Low Franconian *bunni something bound (< Germanic *bund-, noun derivative of *bind- bind; bundle ), with -et -et; compare Late Latin abonnis, obbonis ribbon forming part of a headdress < Germanic, with a prefix corresponding to Middle High German obe- above

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Officers later located the car near his home, with significant damage to the windscreen, bonnet and front bumper.

From BBC

Dressmakers arrived at Barnum’s Hotel to fit the Foxes in the latest gowns, gloves, and bonnets.

From Literature

Depending on your mood, you might continue with Royal Red shrimp served raw with dots of fermented Scotch bonnet pepper and a dusting of spiced red hibiscus flower.

From The Wall Street Journal

Alex said she screamed for help as cars drove past, unsuccessfully trying to smash the window with her keys before calling police as the bonnet began to turn brown.

From BBC

“Why? I’m going to wear my old bonnet anyway.”

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.