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BIRETTAS - 2 dictionary results

bi⋅ret⋅ta

  [buh-ret-uh]
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–noun
a stiff square cap with three or four upright projecting pieces extending from the center of the top to the edge, worn by ecclesiastics.
Also, berretta, birretta.

Origin:
1590–1600; < It berretta, fem. var. of berretto < OPr berret < ML birrettum cap, equiv. to LL birr(us) birrus + -ettum -et; appar. by the development: hooded cloak > hood > cap; cf. ML (ca. 800) byrrus short hood (cuculla brevis)
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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bi·ret·ta also be·ret·ta or ber·ret·ta   (bə-rět'ə)   
n.   Ecclesiastical
A stiff square cap with three or four ridges across the crown. Birettas are worn especially by Roman Catholic clergy and are black for priests, purple for bishops, and red for cardinals.

[Italian berretta, from Old Provençal berret, cap, from Late Latin birrus, hooded cloak, probably of Celtic origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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