mortarboard

[ mawr-ter-bawrd, -bohrd ]

noun

1. a board, usually square, used by masons to hold mortar.
2. Also called cap. a cap with a close-fitting crown surmounted by a stiff, flat, square piece from which a tassel hangs, worn as part of academic costume.

mortarboard

/ ˈmɔːtəˌbɔːd /

noun

1. a black tasselled academic cap with a flat square top covered with cloth
2. Also calledhawk a small square board with a handle on the underside for carrying mortar

Word History and Origins

Origin of mortarboard¹

First recorded in 1850–55; mortar ² + board

Example Sentences

The figure wears academic robes and a mortarboard.

From New York Times

Some show young people "lying flat" in graduation gowns, faces covered with mortarboards; others show them holding their graduation certificates above dustbins, ready to bin them.

From BBC

For her graduation in 2020, she decorated her mortarboard with flower and butterfly cutouts and the words, “For The Lives That I Will Change.”

From Seattle Times

“I may have taken off my mortarboard and put on whatever hat a diplomat wears, but I’m doing the same thing,” Lipstadt said.

From Washington Post

The actor and comedian wore a ceremonial red and black robe and mortarboard hat for the ceremony at the Sheldonian Theatre.

From BBC