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The square academic cap, very commonly called a mortarboard (from the French mortier, a type of toque), is an item of academic headgear consisting of a horizontal square board fixed upon a skull-cap, with a tassel, or liripipe, attached to the centre. It is also often termed a square or trencher in the UK and Australia; in the U.S., it is usually referred to more generically as a cap. Its colloquial name derives from its resemblance to the board upon which mortar is placed by a bricklayer.
The cap, together with the gown and (sometimes) a hood, now form the customary uniform of a university graduate, in many parts of the world, following an Anglo-American model. Other traditions persist also.
Origins
The mortarboard is believed to have evolved from the biretta, a similar-looking hat worn by Christian clergy. There are suggestions that it might be the other way around. In any case both are derivative of the Roman pileus quadratus, a type of skullcap with superposed square. It was originally reserved for holders of master degrees, but was later adopted by bachelors and undergraduates. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries corner-cap (catercap in the Marprelate tracts) was the term used (OED).
Variants
Doctorate-holders of some universities wear the mortarboard, although the round Tudor bonnet is more common in Britain. The 4, 6, or 8 cornered "tam" is on the ascendent in the U.S., and in general a soft square tam has some acceptance for women as a substitute for the hard 'square'.
In the U.S., the mortarboard is also worn by high school graduates during the presentation of their diplomas. Traditionally they throw them in the air after the announcement of their confirmation of their graduation.
Traditional wear
Until the second half of the 20th century, mortarboards were often worn by schoolteachers, and the hat remains an icon of the teaching profession.
The tassel may be colored differently from the traditional black to represent the field in which the wearer obtained his or her education, or at the High School level, may be the school's colors.
It is seen now most often in comic representations of teachers, for example in The Bash Street Kids comic strip.
See also
"Square academic cap"