mexican hat
mexican hat Lexical Profile
• noun
A broad-brimmed, high-crowned hat traditionally worn in Mexico, most commonly referred to in English as a sombrero.
"The folk dancers wore brightly colored traditional Mexican hats during their lively performance in the plaza."
North American A North American prairie wildflower (Ratibida columnifera) of the aster family, distinguished by drooping yellow and dark red petals around a tall central cone that resembles a high-crowned sombrero.
"We scattered Mexican hat seeds across the restored meadow to attract native bees and butterflies."
American A small census-designated place in San Juan County, Utah, named for a nearby distinctive rock formation that visibly resembles a sombrero.
"During our desert road trip toward Monument Valley, we stopped for a quick lunch in Mexican Hat."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the traditional headwear, the single word 'sombrero' is overwhelmingly preferred in English; the phrase 'Mexican hat' is more routinely used in botany for the prairie coneflower, in geography, or in mathematics for the Mexican hat potential function.
Word Origin & Etymology
Named for its distinct visual resemblance to the traditional high-crowned, wide-brimmed sombrero worn in Mexico. The botanical name, geological formations, and mathematical graphs all borrow this descriptive imagery.