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chapeau

Etymology and origin of the French word chapeau

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1130, Pèlerinage de Charlemagne (chapel)
Inherited from
Latin cappellus via Old French
Ultimate origin
Late Latin (cappa)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʃa.po/[1]

Forms

chapeau m (plural chapeaux)[1] Old French chapel (about 1130), nominative chapels, chapeaus, chapeau from the first quarter of the 13th century.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French chapel, inherited from Late Latin cappellus (“headdress”), recorded before 833, a diminutive of cappa (“hood, cape”) (see chape).[2][3][5][6][1][7] Medieval Latin “capellus” also meant a lid in the 13th century.[2]

Cognate with Italian cappello, Occitan capèl and Catalan capell.[6][8] It is the source of English chapeau (1520s).[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Pèlerinage de Charlemagne (about 1130) has chapel for a headdress worn by men and women.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In the Middle Ages and until the early 16th century it also meant a wreath of flowers, as in chapeaus de roses; its diminutive chapelet, first a little wreath, came to mean a rosary.[6][2][4] The cardinal's red hat is named in 1288, and le chapeau meant the cardinal's dignity in 1561.[2][3]

Marks of respect gave ôter son chapeau (1585) and chapeau bas (1694), whence the exclamation chapeau ! “hats off!”.[2][3] In the 19th century the hat marked the bourgeoisie, as against the cap.[3] Slang has porter le chapeau “to take the blame” (1928) and travailler du chapeau “to be crazy” (1935); sur les chapeaux de roues “at top speed” dates from 1928.[2][3] By likeness of shape it named the cap of a mushroom (1809) and the introductory lines of an article (1907).[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1130 – Chapel, Pèlerinage de Charlemagne.[2]
  • first quarter of the 13th century – Chapeau; a wreath of flowers.[2]
  • 1288 – The cardinal's hat.[2]
  • 1585 – Oster son chapeau.[2]
  • 1694 – Chapeau bas.[2]
  • 1809 – The cap of a mushroom.[2]
  • 1928 – Porter le chapeau.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A hat: chapeau de paille, chapeau melon, ôter son chapeau.[10][1]
  2. Chapeau !: hats off!, well done![3]
  3. Porter le chapeau: to take the blame, tirer son chapeau à qqn, to take one's hat off to someone.[3][1]
  4. The cap of a mushroom.[2][1]
  5. An introductory paragraph above an article.[2][1]
  6. Sur les chapeaux de roues: at top speed.[2][1]

Word family

  • chapelier
  • chapellerie
  • chapelet

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 287b
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  10. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Chapeau.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/chapeau. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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