Charlotte

Definition

A type of women's bonnet popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Etymology

From French Charlotte in the 17th century, a female diminutive form of Charles, from Middle High German Karl, which came from the Germanic *karlaz. The civil parish is named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744-1818). Coined by British-Dutch surveyor Samuel Holland.

Example Sentences

• "The Charlotte bonnet, form'd to please, / And Strelitz coif she wore with ease."
• "the Charlotte bonnet, from the Sorrows of Werther, was the most becoming and elegantly retired bonnet ever yet sported for walking."
• "Women now resembled well-rounded cabbages from which protruded a tiny head crushed beneath a Charlotte hat covered with plumes and gew-gaws."