cravat

C2+ Topic:General Vocabulary

US /kɹəˈvæt/ UK /kɹəˈvat/ See IPA manual

Freq #38784

Meanings

1

noun
a broad band or scarf worn around the neck

He tightened his cravat before entering the room.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a broad band or scarf worn... necktie neckcloth scarfascot

Word family

Derived forms cravatscravattedcravating

Related forms tieneckwear

Simplified etymology

Cravat entered English from French in the mid-17th century. The French term meant “Croat,” because Croatian mercenaries introduced the style of neckwear.

Etymology

From French cravate, originally referring to Croatian soldiers whose neckcloths became fashionable; from forms meaning "Croat" in neighboring European languages.

cravate French Krawaat Dutch Krawatte German Hr̀vāt sh

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# cravat

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /kɹəˈvæt/
**IPA (UK):** /kɹəˈvat/
**Frequency rank:** 38784

## Meanings
1. a broad band or scarf worn around the neck

## Examples
- He tightened his cravat before entering the room.

## Synonyms
- necktie
- neckcloth
- scarf
- ascot

## Derived Forms
- cravats
- cravatted
- cravating

## Related Forms
- tie
- neckwear

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: cravate
- Root: Krawaat
- Root: Krawatte
- Root: Hr̀vāt

## Etymology
From French cravate, originally referring to Croatian soldiers whose neckcloths became fashionable; from forms meaning "Croat" in neighboring European languages.

## AI Etymology
Cravat comes from French cravate, originally connected with Croatian soldiers and the distinctive neckcloths associated with them. The word entered English as a name for a band or scarf worn around the neck. Its modern sense remains close to that fashion history: a cravat is a formal or decorative neckcloth, adjacent to necktie, scarf, and ascot. The route is cultural borrowing rather than native word formation, so the etymology preserves a trace of clothing history and European military fashion.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

markdown