mexican hat
• 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.
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.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.