the.com/biretta
A four-cornered hat that turns clergy into walking rank insignia.
means A stiff square cap with three or four ridged peaks worn by Catholic clergy, its color signaling the wearer's rank.
from From Italian berretta, a diminutive of the Late Latin birrus, a hooded cloak or cape — itself possibly of Celtic or Gaulish root, related to words for a reddish-brown cloak. The little cap took its name from the bigger garment, the headgear shrinking out of the cloak across the centuries.
- color codes
- White for pope, red cardinals, purple bishops, black priests
- corner count
- Three ridges for clergy, four for academic doctors
- the pom
- A tuft tops it, except cardinals go bare
- name root
- Likely from Latin birrus, a hooded cloak
- removal rules
- Tipped or doffed at specific liturgical moments
for instance
cardinal's biretta — worn by roman catholic cardinals since the 16th century, typically scarlet with three ridges
bishop's biretta — worn by catholic bishops, traditionally purple or black with three ridges, still used in formal liturgy