Log in or Sign up
  1. cravat love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A scarf or band of fabric worn around the neck as a tie.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. A neckcloth; a piece of muslin, silk, or other material worn about the neck, generally outside a linen collar, by men, and less frequently by women. When first introduced, it was commonly of lace, or of linen edged with lace. At the beginning of the seventeenth century it was worn very long, and it is often seen in pictures passed through the buttonhole of the coat or waistcoat. (See steinkirk.) The modern cravat is rather a necktie, passed once round the neck, and tied in front in a bow, or, as about 1840 and earlier (when the cravat consisted of a triangular silk kerchief, usually black), twice round the neck, in imitation of the stock. Formerly, when starched linen cravats were worn, perfection in the art of tying them was one of the great accomplishments of a dandy. The cravat differs properly from the scarf, which, whether tied, or passed through a ring, or held by a pin, hangs down over the shirt-front. In England neckcloth is the usual word in this sense.
  2. To put on or wear a cravat; invest with a cravat.

Wiktionary

  1. n. A wide fabric band worn as a necktie by men, having long ends hanging in front.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. A neckcloth; a piece of silk, fine muslin, or other cloth, worn by men about the neck.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. neckwear worn in a slipknot with long ends overlapping vertically in front

Etymologies

  1. From French cravate, an appellative use of Cravate, from Dutch Krawaat, from German Krawatte, from Serbo-Croatian Hr̀vāt/Хр̀ва̄т ("Croat"). (Wiktionary)
  2. French cravate, necktie worn by Croatian mercenaries in the service of France, from Cravate, a Croatian, from German dialectal Krabate, from Serbo-Croatian Hrvāt. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “And there is the longish face; and the rather thin, stuck-out moustache, shewing both lips which pout a bit; and there is the nearly black hair; and there is the rather visible paunch; and there is, oh good Heaven, the neat pink cravat -- ah, it must have been _that -- the cravat_ -- that made me burst out into laughter so loud, mocking, and uncontrollable the moment my eye rested there!”

    The Purple Cloud

  • “In France, the aristocracy followed, wearing silk neckwear they termed cravat, from the French word for Croat.”

    The Wall Street Journal: A Return to Tying the Knot

  • “And this impression is greatly helped by the fantastical finery of his dress: sky-blue satin cravat, yards of gold chain, white French gloves, light drab great-coat lined with velvet of the same colour, invisible inexpressibles, skin-coloured and fitting like a glove, etc., etc.”

    New Letters and Memorials of Jane Welsh Carlyle

  • “Lagan Bayomobo, a 13-year-old A.B. Davis Middle School student, will represent Mount Vernon in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. By spelling the word cravat correctly Legan was able to secure his fate an be declared the winner of the district spelling bee.”

    The Hall Monitor

  • “In a sartorial choice that has baffled and dismayed people ever since, upper-class Parisians adopted the mercenaries 'knotted scarf, which they called a "cravat" - a mispronunciation of the word "Croat" probably caused by a restricted larynx.”

    Pipes Output

  • “He was attired in perfectly-tailored evening-dress, and the cut of the suit suggested that the large diamond stickpin in his cravat was the genuine article and not paste.”

    Fictionaut: red dust

  • “The cravat is a bit tricky to get looking right and the white cotton gloves are slightly too small.”

    August 18th, 2008

  • “He spoke to my high school Creative Writing class, and all I remember about him besides the fact that he was the first person I know to wear a cravat were his complaints about being misunderstood by the publishing community.”

    Kristine Kathryn Rusch » Editorial June 1996

  • “A form of neckwear known as the cravat appears during the reign of Louis XIV of France.”

    The Wall Street Journal: Short, Bold, Skinny, Paisley

  • “His cravat was a shiny combination of silken threads, not loud, not inconspicuous.”

    Sister Carrie

Show 10 more examples...

Log in or sign up to add your own related words.

synonyms (1)

Words with the same meaning

  1. neckcloth

hypernyms (1)

Words that are more generic or abstract

  1. neckwear

hyponyms (3)

Words that are more specific

  1. stock
  1. neckcloth
  1. ascot

same context (17)

Words that are found in similar contexts

  1. necktie
  2. waistcoat
  3. scarf
  1. gaiter
  2. kerchief
  3. pantaloons
  1. neckcloth
  2. turban
  3. stocking
  1. frock
  2. blouse
  3. sash
  1. neckerchief
  2. doublet
  3. cuff
  1. panties
  2. pajamas

reverse dictionary (23)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. ascot
  2. stock
  3. neckcloth
  4. cravat
  1. gravat
  2. cravatted
  3. choker
  4. neck-stock
  1. neck-handkerchief
  2. o'erlay
  3. soubise
  4. burdash
  1. cravat-string
  2. crumpler
  3. scarf
  4. stiffener
  1. czar
  2. foulard
  3. overlay
  4. pin
  1. steenkirk
  2. stiff
  3. tie

Wordmap

(beta)

Word visualization

Lists

These user-created lists contain the word ‘cravat’.

More lists containing ‘cravat’

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • reesetee Haha! I like it. Feb 20, 2008

  • chained_bear "At four bells in the afternoon watch, or two by the clocks in the town, Jack was sitting in front of a small looking-glass in his sleeping cabin with a freshly-laundered cravat the size of a topgallant studdingsail spread out ready to be folded about his neck..."
    --Patrick O'Brian, The Far Side of the World, 57 Feb 20, 2008

  • rolig The word comes, ultimately, from the ethnonym Hrvat, "Croatian", via the French cravate, because of the kind of scarf worn by Croatian mercenaries in France. Jan 3, 2008

Tweets

Looking for tweets for cravat.

‘cravat’ has been looked up 5288 times, loved by 1 person, added to 46 lists, commented on 3 times, and has a Scrabble score of 11.