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snood

Apparel
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A netlike or fabric bag worn at the back of a woman's head to hold her hair, often associated with medieval and 19th-century feminine styles, evoking domesticity and modesty.

Detailed Definition
The snood is a garment that has appeared in various historical periods, from medieval Europe to the 1940s, and its poetic use often carries a retro, nostalgic quality. It is both practical—keeping hair tidy during work—and decorative, often made of lace or netting with ribbons. In pastoral and historical poetry, the snood is worn by country girls and serving maids, its netting suggesting a contained, modest femininity. In love poetry, the snood might be unfastened, allowing hair to fall free—a moment of release. The snood also appears in poems about the home front during wartime, when women wore them in factories. Its name is onomatopoeic, suggesting the smooth gathering of hair, and poets enjoy its soft, rounded sound, which fits well with gentle, domestic imagery.
Example
Example in poetry:
"Her snood of netting held her hair in a cage of elegance"; "The snood's silk was a web of light on her dark hair"; "She wore her snood to the dance, a nod to the 1940s"; "The snood, knitted by her mother, was a gift of love"; "He untied her snood and her hair fell like rain"; "The snood's pattern was a spiral of memory and knots"
Additional Notes
The snood is a garment that has appeared in various historical periods, from medieval Europe to the 1940s, and its poetic use often carries a retro, nostalgic quality. It is both practical—keeping hair tidy during work—and decorative, often made of lace or netting with ribbons. In pastoral and historical poetry, the snood is worn by country girls and serving maids, its netting suggesting a contained, modest femininity. In love poetry, the snood might be unfastened, allowing hair to fall free—a moment of release. The snood also appears in poems about the home front during wartime, when women wore them in factories. Its name is onomatopoeic, suggesting the smooth gathering of hair. Related terms include hairnet, caul, and headband. Students should note the snood's associations with historical femininity, work, and the containment of hair.
Also Known As
hair net maiden's fillet Scottish hairband
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