Hood (headgear)

A hood is a kind of headgear.

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Today, hoods are generally soft headcoverings which form part of a larger garment (e.g. an overcoat, shirt or cloak; an exception is a rain hood which is not part of a larger garment). They can be pulled up over the head when needed, or left to hang down the back when not. They may also be detachable to turn a winter overcoat into a summer one, or may be designed to be folded or rolled into a small pocket in the neck of the garment when not in use.

Related Topics:
Overcoat - Shirt - Cloak - Rain hood

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Historically, hoods were either similar to modern hoods, often forming part of a cloak or cape, or a separate form of headgear. Soft hoods were worn by men under hats. Hoods have also been used to identify an individual pertaining to an organization such as the KKK.

Related Topics:
Cloak - Cape - KKK

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Women's hoods varied from close-fitting, soft headgear (e.g. snood) to stiffened, structured hoods (e.g. gable hood) or very large coverings made of material over a frame which fashionable women wore over towering wigs or hairstyles to protect them from the elements (e.g. calash).

Related Topics:
Snood - Gable hood - Calash

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A hood can also be headgear, possibly make-shift, e.g. a bag, that covers the whole head, with the result that the wearer can see little or nothing, like being blindfolded, and can also not be identified. It may be applied to a person who has been arrested or kidnapped. The practice is known as hooding.

Related Topics:
Bag - Blindfold - Kidnap

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Close-fitting hoods are also used in BDSM: see bondage hood.

Related Topics:
BDSM - Bondage hood

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A criminal may also wear a hood to prevent identification: in this case it has typically holes for the eyes.

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