The liripipe is an element of academic dress. It is the tassel or long tail on a graduate's mortarboard (the "cap" of the "cap and gown"), which is often portrayed in film and television as being thrown up into the air upon graduation. This word, or similar variations (including liripium, liripoop and others) literally refers to the tail of a hood or cloak, or the peak of a shoe. It is believed to originate from the Medieval Latin term 'liripipium' of unknown origin.