Hood (headgear)

A hood is a kind of headgear that covers most of the head and neck, and sometimes the face. Hoods that cover mainly the sides and top of the head, and leave the face mostly or partly open may be worn for protection from the environment (typically cold weather or rain), for fashion, as a form of traditional dress or uniform, or in the case of knights, an armoured hood is used for protection against bladed weapons. In some cases, hoods are used to prevent the wearer from seeing where they are going (e.g., in cases where a prisoner is hooded). Hoods with eye holes can be used to prevent the wearer from being identified, as in the case of Ku Klux Klan members, Islamic terrorists, or criminals such as robbers.

The etymology for hood is "covering," Old English hod "hood," from Proto-Germanic *hodaz (cf. Old Saxon, Old Frisian hod "hood," Middle Dutch hoet, Dutch hoed "hat," Old High German huot "helmet, hat," German Hut "hat," Old Frisian hode "guard, protection"), from PIE *kadh- "cover" (see hat)." The modern spelling is early 15th century to indicate a "long" vowel, which is no longer pronounced as such. Meaning "removable cover for an automobile engine" attested by 1905. Little Red Riding Hood (1729) translates Charles Perrault's Petit Chaperon Rouge ("Contes du Temps Passé" 1697)."

Historically, hoods were either similar to modern hoods, often forming part of a cloak or cape, or a separate form of headgear. Hoods with short capes, called chaperons in French, were extremely common in medieval Europe, and later evolved into big hats. Soft hoods were worn by men under hats. Hoods have also been used as part of uniforms for organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan.

A hood to hide or control the wearer often covers the whole head, with the result that the wearer can see little or nothing, like a blindfold, or it can be to prevent identification of the wearer. It may be used on or by a person who has been arrested or kidnapped, or about to suffer judicial execution; this practice is known as hooding. The hood may be simply a bag; it may be intended to be, and/or experienced as, humiliating (see hood event).

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