Cravat
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A wide fabric band worn as a necktie by men having long ends hanging in front.
"It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street. He wore shepherd's plaid trousers and the swallow-tail coat of the day, with a figured muslin cravat wound about his wide-spread collar."
- 2 neckwear worn in a slipknot with long ends overlapping vertically in front wordnet
- 3 A decorative fabric band or scarf worn around the neck by women. historical
- 4 A bandage resembling a cravat, particularly a triangular bandage folded into a strip.
- 1 To adorn with a cravat; to tie a cravat, or something resembling a cravat, around the neck. rare, transitive
Example
More examples"It was clear, however, that Straker had defended himself vigorously against his assailants, for in his right hand he held a small knife, which was clotted with blood up to the handle, while in his left he clasped a red and black silk cravat."
Etymology
From French cravate, an appellative use of Cravate (“Croat”), from Dutch Krawaat, from German Krawatte, from Serbo-Croatian Hr̀vāt/Хр̀ва̄т (“Croat”). The cravat is regarded as originating from a linen scarf worn by Croatian mercenaries which was adopted into French fashion in the 17th century. Doublet of Croat.
Related phrases
More for "cravat"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.