bon|net

bon|net «BON iht», noun, verb.

–n.

1. a covering for the head, usually tied under the chin with strings or ribbons, worn by women and children.

2. a cap worn by men and boys in Scotland.

3. a headdress of feathers worn by North American Indians.

4. a cover or cap over part of a machine or object: a) a cowl for a chimney. b) British. the hood covering the engine of an automobile, truck, etc. c) a metal plate covering the openings in the valve chambers of a pump.

5. Nautical. a piece of canvas laced to the bottom of a sail, especially a jib, to increase the sail area in light winds.

6. a horny area on the tip of the snout of right whales.

–v.t.

to put a bonnet on.

╂[< Middle French bonnet hat; fabric for hats < Medieval Latin abonnis kind of hat]