Skullcap
/ˈskʌl.kæp/noun
A close-fitting cap, or a plant of the genus Scutellaria with small helmet-shaped flowers.
Did you know?The botanical genus Scutellaria comes from Latin scutella, “small dish,” referring to the dish-shaped structure behind each flower—not to skulls.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic / early Scandinavian
Germanic
*skullō / skalli
“A bald head or skull; the exact ancestry of English skull is uncertain but is generally linked to Germanic forms for the head or cranium.”
Old English
Old English
sculle
“A skull or hard bone of the head.”
13th Century
Old French
cape
“A hood or covering for the head, from Latin cappa, a cloak or hood.”
Middle English
English
skulle + cappe
“Skull combined with cap to describe a close-fitting head covering.”
17th Century
English
skull-cap
“A small, close-fitting cap covering the crown of the head; later also a name for the medicinal herb.”
18th Century
Latin botanical
Scutellaria
“The formal plant genus name, derived from Latin scutella, “small dish,” describing part of the flower.”
Modern English
English
skullcap
“A fitted cap and, especially in botany, a Scutellaria plant with helmet- or skull-like flowers.”