Topee

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A lightweight hat made of pith or cork, worn especially in tropical climates for protection from the sun
2. A broad-brimmed hat of cork or similar material, typically worn in hot countries to shield from intense heat
3. A sun hat constructed from pith or comparable light material, commonly used in colonial and tropical settings for sun protection

Etymology: The helmet known as a topee takes its name from the Hindi "ṭopī" (also written in Urdu as "ṭōpī"), a word for a cap or hat. It is one of those English words that arrived with British colonial life in South Asia, where the lightweight pith helmet became the standard protection against the sun for officials, soldiers and travellers in the heat. The word's original sense is simply a cap, not a specialised tropical helmet. English adopted it to name the headgear it encountered in India, and the sun-proof version made of pith was what gave the term its strong association with the British Raj.

Synonyms: pith helmet, helmet, hat