hatpin

[ hat-pin ]

noun

1. a long pin for securing a woman's hat to her hair, often having a bulbous decorative head of colored glass, simulated pearl, or the like.

hatpin

/ ˈhætˌpɪn /

noun

1. a sturdy pin used to secure a woman's hat to her hair, often having a decorative head

Word History and Origins

Origin of hatpin¹

First recorded in 1890–95; hat + pin

Example Sentences

She rose and picked her way across the hatpins.

From Literature

And the Smithsonian Magazine reports that in the US, women used hatpins even in the 1900s to stab men who got too close for comfort.

From BBC

“Says the girl who impaled a man with her hatpins.”

From Literature

She fought with her own weapon — an 8-inch hatpin — while the other boys ran for help.

From Los Angeles Times

She reacted with wit to London’s nightly blackouts, sprinkling her pages with luminescent hatpins and brooches and a selection of jaunty gas mask totes.

From New York Times