Word of the Day

: December 4, 2012

cloche

noun KLOHSH

What It Means

1 : a transparent plant cover used outdoors especially for protection against cold

2 : a woman's close-fitting hat usually with deep rounded crown and narrow brim

cloche in Context

You may be able to extend your own garden's growing season considerably by using cloches to protect plants from colder temperatures.

"Another popular hat is the cloche, which rose to fame in the 1920s. The bell-shaped hats come in a variety of patterns, colors and textures." - From an article by Julia Hatmaker in the Patriot News (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania), September 23, 2012

Did You Know?

The word cloche refers to very different things but the connection between them is apparent in the word's meaning: cloche is French for "bell," and both the gardening cloche and the hat cloche are typically shaped like the archetypal bell. The gourmands among you may be aware of another kind of cloche as well. Covered in our Unabridged dictionary, cloche also refers to a bell-shaped cover placed over food in cooking or serving. The French word cloche comes from Medieval Latin "clocca," which is also the source of the words cloak and clock.