| Mortarboard |
Website Links For Square |
Information AboutMortarboard |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT SQUARE ACADEMIC CAP | |
| academic dress | |
| hats | |
| headgear | |
| graduation | |
|
The square academic cap, very commonly called a '''mortarboard''' (from the French ''mortier'', a type of Toque ), is an item of Academic headgear consisting of a horizontal square board fixed upon a skull-cap, with a Tassel attached to the centre. It is also often termed a '''square''' or '''trencher''' in the UK and Australia; in the U.S., it is usually referred to more generically as a '''cap'''. Its colloquial name derives from its resemblance to the board upon which Mortar is placed by a Bricklayer . The cap, together with the gown and (sometimes) a hood, now form the customary uniform of a University Graduate , in many parts of the world, following an Anglo-American model. Other traditions persist also. ORIGINS The mortarboard is believed to have evolved from the Biretta , a similar-looking hat worn by Christian clergy. There are suggestions that it might be the other way round. In any case both are derivative of the Roman ''pileus quadratus'', a type of Skullcap with superposed square. It was originally reserved for holders of Master Degree s, but was later adopted by Bachelor s and Undergraduate s. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries ''corner-cap'' (catercap in the Marprelate Tracts ) was the term used (''OED''). VARIANTS Doctorate -holders of some universities wear the mortarboard, although the round Tudor Bonnet is more common in Britain . The 4, 6, or 8 cornered " Tam " is on the ascendent in the U.S., and in general a soft square tam has some acceptance for women as a substitute for the hard 'square'. In the U.S., the mortarboard is also worn by high school graduates during the presentation of their diplomas. Traditionally they throw them in the air after the announcement of their confirmation of their graduation. features a giant steel mortarboard suspended over the street as a landmark.]] TRADITIONAL WEAR Until the second half of the 20th century, mortarboards were often worn by schoolteachers, and the hat remains an icon of the teaching profession. It is seen now most often in comic representations of teachers, for example in '' The Bash Street Kids '' comic strip. SEE ALSO |
|
|