Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

fedora

 
fedora
(Click to enlarge)
fedora
(© School Division, Houghton Mifflin Company)
(fĭ-dôr'ə, -dōr'ə) pronunciation
n.
A soft felt hat with a fairly low crown creased lengthwise and a brim that can be turned up or down.

[After Fédora, a play by Victorien Sardou.]


Search unanswered questions...
Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics
TechEncyclopedia:

Fedora

Top

A free distribution of the Linux kernel from Red Hat along with a variety of open source utilities. Technical support is not provided for any of the Fedora distribution, only for Red Hat's full fee-based subscription of Linux. The SELinux security subsystem is also included, starting with Fedora Core 2. Fedora is offered by Red Hat as a community-based project to encourage development of new features. See Linux and Red Hat.

Download Computer Desktop Encyclopedia to your PC, iPhone or Android.

Opera in three acts by Giordano to a libretto by Colautti after Sardou (1898, Milan).



Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'fedora'

Top
Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to fedora, see:
  • Hats - fedora: low, soft, felt hat with crown creased lengthwise


A fedora made by Borsalino with a gutter-dent, side-dented crown, the front of the brim "snapped down" and the back "snapped up"

A fedora (play /fɨˈdɔːrə/) is a men's felt hat. The term is usually generic, describing any men's hat that does not already have another name; a few fedoras have names of their own, including the trilby.[1]

The hat is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" in the front on both sides,[2] though the creasing does not define the hat. Fedoras can also be creased with teardrop crowns, diamond crowns, center dents, and others, and the positioning of pinches can vary. The typical crown height is 4.5 inches (11.4 centimeters).

The brim is usually approximately 2.5 inches (6.3 centimeters) wide, but may be wider,[3] can be left "raw edged" (left as cut), finished with a sewn overwelt or underwelt, or bound with a trim-ribbon. A trilby hat, as a contrary example, has a slightly narrower brim than a typical fedora; the trilby's is thus more sharply upturned in back and downturned in front than one sees in a typical larger fedora.

The term fedora was in use as early as 1891. Its popularity soared, and eventually it eclipsed the similar-looking Homburg (which is also a type of fedora).[4] Fedoras can be found in nearly any color, but black, grey, tan ("fawn"), and dark brown are the most popular.

Contents

History

Another example of a fedora made by Borsalino, with a pinch-front teardrop-shaped crown

The word fedora comes from the title of an 1882 play by Victorien Sardou, Fédora, written for Sarah Bernhardt.[5] The play was first performed in the United States in 1889. Bernhardt played Princess Fédora, the heroine of the play, and she wore a hat similar to what is now considered a fedora. The fedora had been a female fashion. When the fedora became a male fashion item in the late 19th century, it was popular for its stylishness, ability to protect the wearer's head from the wind and weather. Since the early part of the 20th century, many Haredi and other Orthodox Jews have made black fedoras normative to their daily wear.[6]

The hat is sometimes popularly associated with the era of Prohibition, Great Depression–era gangsters and detectives. Film stars in the 1950s such as Humphrey Bogart popularized the fedora in their movies. In Hollywood movies of the 1940s, the fedora was widely worn, especially by private detectives, gangsters, or other "tough guy" roles.

The fedora was popular from the 1890s onward. In the late 1950s, the hat began to lose favor in the West due to the advent of more casual clothing. The late 1950s switch from wider lapels and ties to thin ones resulted in more narrowly brimmed hats.

The fedora enjoyed a revival only a few years after its waning popularity, dating back to the mid-1970s. The fedora as a personal statement has made impacts on American and global culture: Indiana Jones popularized his fedora in the Indiana Jones franchise.[7] Among historical figures: Coach Tom Landry wore a fedora while he was the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. It would later become his trademark image. A cenotaph dedicated to Landry with a depiction of his fedora was placed in the official Texas State Cemetery in Austin at the family's request.[8] In addition the Cowboys wore a patch on their uniforms during the 2000 season depicting Landry's fedora.[9] Michael Jackson frequently wore a fedora in public appearances, concerts and video clips.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. ^ See Kilgour
  2. ^ Elizabeth Cotton, "Hats" (Published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang) 1999
  3. ^ Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1958). A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern. R. M. McBride Company.
  4. ^ See Kilgour
  5. ^ Encarta Dictionary, Microsoft Encarta Premium Suite 2004.
  6. ^ Jody Shields, John Dugdale – "Hats: A Stylish History and Collector's Guide" (Published by Clarkson Potter) 1991
  7. ^ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1386128/Johnny-Depp-channels-Indiana-Jones-brown-fedora-leather-jacket.html
  8. ^ Texas State Cemetery page
  9. ^ http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/dallas/halloffame/story/_/id/6875079/tom-landry-deserved-better-hof-vote
  10. ^ Campbell, Lisa D. (1994). Michael Jackson: The King of Pop's Darkest Hour. Branden Books. p. 34. ISBN 0-828-32003-9. http://books.google.com/books?id=n1S4bMjM8LoC. , Extract of page 34
  11. ^ Andersen, Christopher P. (1995). Michael Jackson: unauthorized. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-89240-1. http://books.google.com/books?id=ZADy-GVRPuQC. 

External links


Translations:

Fedora

Top

Dansk (Danish)
n. - blød herrehat

Nederlands (Dutch)
gleufhoed

Français (French)
n. - (US) chapeau mou, feutre mou

Deutsch (German)
n. - weicher Hut

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - μαλακό καπέλο (κν. ρεπούμπλικα)

Italiano (Italian)
cappello di feltro

Português (Portuguese)
n. - tipo de chapéu (m) masculino

Русский (Russian)
мягкая мужская шляпа с продольной вмятиной

Español (Spanish)
n. - sombrero de fieltro

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - filthatt

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
浅顶软呢男帽

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 淺頂軟呢男帽

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 중절모

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ソフト帽, フェドーラ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) قبعه فيدراليه لها حافه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮פדורה (כובע לבד)‬


 
 
Related topics:
Fedora (family name)
Harpin' on It (1999 Album by Arthur Williams)
Fedora (1946 Drama Film)

Related answers:
What is Fedora Linux? Read answer...
Who invented the fedora? Read answer...
Who is the inventor of fedora? Read answer...

Help us answer these:
What are the Disadvantages of fedora?
Where did Indy get his fedora?
What ia fedora?

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

 

Copyrights:

American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
TechEncyclopedia. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY.
All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.
© 1981-2012 The Computer Language Company Inc.  All rights reserved.  Read more
Oxford Grove Music Encyclopedia. The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Copyright © 1994 by Oxford University Press, Inc.. All rights reserved.  Read more
Random House Word Menu. © 2010 Write Brothers Inc. Word Menu is a registered trademark of the Estate of Stephen Glazier. Write Brothers Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
 Rhymes. Oxford University Press. © 2006, 2007 All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia on Answers.com. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Fedora Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

Follow us
Facebook Twitter
YouTube

Mentioned in

» More» More