cravat

English

WOTD – 20 June 2017

An 1800 portrait of French astronomer Pierre-François Bernier by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, from the collection of the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York, USA. Bernier is depicted wearing a cravat.

Etymology

From French cravate, an appellative use of Cravate (“Croat”), from Dutch Krawaat, from German Krawatte, from Serbo-Croatian Hr̀vāt/Хр̀ва̄т (“Croat”). The cravat is regarded as originating from a linen scarf worn by Croatian mercenaries which was adopted into French fashion in the 17th century. Doublet of Croat.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kɹəˈvat/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /kɹəˈvæt/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: (General American) -æt
• Hyphenation: cra‧vat

Noun

cravat (plural cravats)

1. A wide fabric band worn as a necktie by men having long ends hanging in front.
   • 1906, Stanley J[ohn] Weyman, “The Dissolution”, in Chippinge Borough, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co., →OCLC, page 3:

     It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street. He wore shepherd's plaid trousers and the swallow-tail coat of the day, with a figured muslin cravat wound about his wide-spread collar.

2. (historical) A decorative fabric band or scarf worn around the neck by women.
3. (surgery) A bandage resembling a cravat, particularly a triangular bandage folded into a strip.

Hyponyms

• ascot, ascot tie

Derived terms

• cravating
• cravatted (adjective)
• hempen cravat

Translations

wide fabric band

• Bulgarian: шалче за врат (šalče za vrat)
• French: foulard (fr) m
• Galician: fular m
• Latin: fōcāle n
• Plautdietsch: Schlips m
• Polish: fular (pl) m
• Serbo-Croatian: kravata (sh)
• Spanish: mascada (es) f

Verb

cravat (third-person singular simple present cravats, present participle cravatting, simple past and past participle cravatted)

1. (transitive, rare) To adorn with a cravat; to tie a cravat, or something resembling a cravat, around the neck.

Further reading

• cravat on Wikipedia.Wikipedia