tarboosh

or tar·bush

[ tahr-boosh ]

noun

1. a tasseled cap of cloth or felt, usually red, that is worn by Muslim men either by itself or as the inner part of the turban.

tarboosh

/ tɑːˈbuːʃ /

noun

1. a felt or cloth brimless cap resembling the fez, usually red and often with a silk tassel, worn alone or as part of a turban by Muslim men

Word History and Origins

Origin of tarboosh¹

1695–1705; < Arabic ṭarbūsh < Ottoman Turkish terposh, probably < Persian sarposh headdress (equivalent to sar head + pūsh covering), by association with Turkish ter sweat

Word History and Origins

Origin of tarboosh¹

C18: from Arabic tarbūsh

Example Sentences

Wearing peaked black headdresses and long robes, a procession of Armenian priests is led along the stone streets of Jerusalem's Old City by two suited men in felt tarboosh hats with ceremonial walking sticks.

From BBC

Its liveried crew still change uniforms daily—purple robes in the morning, black in the evening—with complementary red felt tarboosh hats.

From Wall Street Journal

In the black-and-white picture, he sits imperiously in a galabiya, a cane in one hand and a tarboosh on his head.

From The New Yorker

Ataturk not only Romanized the alphabet and got rid of the tarboosh, he also set up these government distilleries for raki, a double-distilled aniseed drink.

From New York Times

Sitting on his haunches with his arms clasped round his bent knees, he nodded his crimson tarboosh until his head found a rather uncomfortable resting-place on his clasped hands.

From Project Gutenberg