A type of medieval hat or cap with a distinctive shape, often depicted in historical artwork and worn by nobility.
From Middle English, likely from Old English 'by' (near) combined with 'coket' (a sealed document or hat style), though the exact origin is debated among etymologists. The word appears in 14th-century English texts describing specific headwear fashions.
The bycoket is one of those historical fashion terms that historians love because it appears so specifically in old documents—you can actually see these exact hats in medieval paintings, making it a rare case where a word lets us identify what people literally wore on their heads 600 years ago.
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