Zucchettos

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of small, rounded skullcap traditionally worn by clergy in certain Christian denominations
2. A religious head covering typically donned by bishops and cardinals during liturgical ceremonies
3. A decorative cap symbolizing authority and office, often worn by Catholic priests in formal settings

Etymology: The word "zucchetto" was borrowed from Italian, where it is a diminutive of "zucca," meaning gourd or squash. A skullcap that looks like a small upturned gourd took its name from the vegetable, and that shape is the whole story behind it. Italian speakers also gave us "zucchini," which is simply a plural diminutive of the same root, so the cap and the courgette share a single ancestor. The Italian suffix "-etto" marks something small, so "zucchetto" literally means "little squash." Because the word was borrowed whole rather than translated, English speakers adopted an Italian object name along with the object itself, which is why it still looks foreign on the page.