Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of several styles of small, usually brimless, close-fitting hats.
  • noun A hat, usually white, having a tall pleated crown and no brim and traditionally worn by chefs.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A head-covering formerly worn by men and women—a diminished form of the hat with turned-up brim.
  • noun A small bonnet in the shape of a round, close-fitting crown without a projecting brim, worn by women in the nineteenth century.
  • noun The bonnet-macaque, Macacus sinensis, so called from the arrangement of the hairs of the head into a kind of toque or cap; also, some similar monkey, as M. pileolatus of Ceylon. See cut under bonnet-macaque.
  • noun A small nominal money of account, used in trading on some parts of the west coast of Africa.
  • noun See toboggan-cap.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A kind of cap worn in the 16th century, and copied in modern fashions; -- called also toquet.
  • noun (Zoöl.) A variety of the bonnet monkey.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A type of hat with no brim.
  • noun specifically A tall white hat with no brim of the sort worn by chefs
  • noun by extension, informal A chef.
  • noun A variety of bonnet monkey.
  • noun Canada A knitted hat, usually conical but of varying shape, often woollen, and sometimes topped by a pom-pom or tassel.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a small round woman's hat
  • noun a tall white hat with a pouched crown; worn by chefs

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, from Spanish toca.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Circa 1500. From Old French toque, itself via Spanish toca ("woman’s dress") and/or Italian tocca ("toque"); possibly from Arabic طاق (tāq, "layer, stratum"), from Old Persian taq ("veil, shawl").

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

1871. Assimilated from Canadian French tuque, from Old French toque.

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Examples

  • It makes me feel like a pro yet the baker's toque is missing.

    Archive 2007-02-01 Anjali 2007

  • It makes me feel like a pro yet the baker's toque is missing.

    The Baking Bug Again Anjali 2007

  • A toque is a hat, a chesterfield is a couch, and it is pronounced 'zed' not 'zee', 'zed' !

    Dawg's Blawg 2005

  • Before setting out from Pembina, he bought boots, toques [for my American readers, a toque is a winter hat], a parka, two sets of gloves, thermal socks, a compass, trail mix and water.

    trinityboy Diary Entry trinityboy 2005

  • A toque is a hat, a chesterfield is a couch, and it is pronounced 'zed' not 'zee', 'zed' !

    Archive 2005-08-01 2005

  • A toque is a type of hat that is cylindrical in shape and of which the top is several inches about the top of the head.

    The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time William Safire 2004

  • A toque is a type of hat that is cylindrical in shape and of which the top is several inches about the top of the head.

    The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time William Safire 2004

  • Then that started the discussion about the "toque" (chef's hat), which then confused jessica because Canadians always assume toque = touque = tuque = winter hat.

    first frost 2005

  • The participants were two young and pleasant-looking girls: they discussed matters feminine, of which only the words "toque," "a bewitching little thing," and "pink velvet" had reached my ears; but when I heard the question, "What became of your last poem, Clara?"

    The Writer, Volume VI, April 1892. A Monthly Magazine to Interest and Help All Literary Workers Various 1904

  • Her head-dress was that worn by all quadroons -- the "toque" of the Madras kerchief, which sat upon her brow like a coronet, its green, crimson, and yellow checks contrasting finely with the raven blackness of her hair.

    The Quadroon Adventures in the Far West Mayne Reid 1850

Comments

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  • These definitions are really archaic! In Canada, "toque" is a regular, everyday word. It's a woolen knit cap to keep your head warm in winter. Everybody says "toque". So where is the current definition here?

    July 22, 2009

  • Hello, you left out something very important! This word is used to describe a wool knitted cap such as we wear in winter. In Canada, this is the preferred word for such a hat and everybody uses it all the time! I've sent a note on this but it hasn't registered. We are truly feeling like we are lost in the hinterland when our definition of a current word is not included. And you can definitely expect to see this word more than once a year. Thanks!

    September 15, 2009