hairnet n : a small net that some women wear over their hair to keep it in place

English

Etymology

“hair” + “net”

Pronunciation

• (General American): /ˈhɛrˌnɛt/, /"hEr%nEt/

Noun

1. A net designed to keep hair up and out of the way. (used, e.g., while cooking)

Translations

A Hairnet, or sometimes simply a net or caul, is a small, often elasticised, fine net worn over long hair to hold it in place. A snood is similar but a looser fit and with a much coarser mesh.

Evidence has been found of hairnets as far back as ancient Greece http://classics.furman.edu/Classics/GreekFashion/page37.htm. Hairnets were worn from the 13th century onwards in Germany and England and are shown in illustrations from this period often worn with a wimple. They were made from extremely fine silk and edged with bands of either finger-weaving or tablet-weaving. http://members.tripod.com/nicolaa5/articles/hairnet.htm

• Ena Sharples, an early character in the UK soap opera Coronation Street, was famous for wearing a hairnet.

Other uses

The word has been adopted by several organisations in computing and the world wide web.

• Hairnet in the UK, subsequently renamed Digital Unite, is a network of older self-employed computer trainers. http://www.hairnet.org/.

• In cycling, a hairnet was the popular term given to a bicycle helmet consisting of padded leather strapshttp://www.branfordbike.com/helmet/helmet1.htm.