Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “hat” come from?

Hat comes from Middle English hat, from Old English hete, from Proto-Germanic hataz, from Proto-Indo-European kadʰ-, meaning to strike or cover.

hat (English): A covering for the head, often in the approximate...

Definitions

  1. A covering for the head, often in the approximate...

Ancestry of “hat”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishhatA hat or cap; a piece of headgear or headwear; A...
2Old EnglishhætAlternative form of hætt; head-covering, hat
3Proto-Germanichattuzhat
4Proto-Indo-Europeankadʰ-to guard, cover, protect, care for; to guard,...

Words derived from “hat”

  • hatter
  • hatless
  • hatted
  • hatband
  • hatful
  • hatpin
  • hatbox
  • tach
  • hatt
  • sunhat
  • hatrack
  • hatting
  • hatstand
  • hatmaker
  • hatmaking
  • behatted
  • hattock
  • unhatted
  • hatlessness
  • hatlike
  • rainhat
  • hatty
  • rehat
  • behat
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kadʰ- →