Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
palmer hat

palmer hat

9.9
A black hat worn with traditional clothes
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : sombrero palmero
  • The museum displayed several antique palmer hats as part of its costume collection.

Examples

  • She recognized the distinctive style of the palmer hat from historical photographs.

  • The palmer hat is a classic choice for formal events.

  • He wore a black palmer hat to the event.

  • He wore a stylish palmer hat to the wedding.

  • He wore a black palmer hat to the event.

  • The palmer hat is a classic choice for formal events.

  • She recognized the distinctive style of the palmer hat from historical photographs.

Surface Forms

palmer hat singular
palmer hats plural

Morphology

palmer + hat

If a B1 learner knows 'palmer' as a pilgrim and 'hat' as a head covering, they can readily infer that a 'palmer hat' is a hat associated with a palmer (i.e., a pilgrim's hat). The noun+noun composition is directly compositional and cross-linguistically common, so the meaning is predictable from the constituents even if the specific historical style is unfamiliar.

Etymology

Palmer hat may come from the hats worn by palmers, long-ago 'pilgrims' who carried a 'palm' leaf after a holy visit. Those travelers wore plain, wide hats, and the simple style kept the name, so today palmer hat refers to a traditional black hat.