biretta
/bɪˈrɛtə
/noun
A square cap with three flat projections on top, worn by Roman Catholic clergymen.Part of the pathos of Durcan's Richelieu lies in his obsessive awareness that if he ‘drops’ the talismanic biretta / crown, the game will be up and the show will be over....
- In confusion, Paul VI perched the wrong birettas on the wrong heads: the American Lawrence Sheehan's large biretta landed on Dante's small Italian head, hanging down over his ears.
- In the present restorationist situation in the church, many leaders are satisfied with the middle-aged vocation with a biretta on his head, an ample cassock, and a conviction that he must teach the laity to obey him.
Origin
Late 16th century: from Italian berretta or Spanish birreta, based on late Latin birrus 'hooded cape'. Compare with beret.