headgear

[ hed-geer ]

noun

1. any covering for the head, heads, especially a hat, cap, bonnet, etc.
2. a protective covering for the head, heads, as a steel helmet or football helmet.
3. the parts of a harness about the animal's head. heads.
4. Orthodontics Informal. a device worn on the head heads and attached by wires and elastic bands to braces in the mouth, used to create backward tension in the process of repositioning protruding teeth.
5. Mining. a headframe and its machinery.

headgear

/ ˈhɛdˌɡɪə /

noun

1. any head covering, esp a hat
2. any part of a horse's harness that is worn on the head
3. the hoisting mechanism at the pithead of a mine

Word History and Origins

Origin of headgear¹

First recorded in 1530–40; head + gear

Example Sentences

"As we left the park, we were told to take off all our headgear. We were told everyone leaving from that exit could not be costumed."

From BBC

After taking a punch to the face inside 30 seconds during Thursday's fight, Carini went to the corner for her coach to fix her headgear.

From BBC

Other research has found significant differences in the headgear of dinosaurs within the same species.

From Science Magazine

Two different families — each sporting every imaginable combination of spikes, horns and frills — diversified across the landscape, using their headgear to signal mates and challenge rivals.

From New York Times

There are about 170 modern ruminant hoofed mammal species with headgear, and many more in the fossil record.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• fedora
• helmet