Etymology
The French word béret, from which the English term derives, is based on the Béarnais Berret, a "sort of flat woollen cap, worn by the local peasants". It was first mentioned 1835 in French and in the 19th century in English. This word is related to the English biretta "clerical square cap", borrowed itself from the Spanish birrete of the same etymology. Most specialists think it is a diminutive form biretum of the Low Latin birrum, which means "sort of short cloak with a hood", that is from Gaulish birros "short". This word is a close relative to Old Irish berr "short", Welsh byr, Breton berr "short", all thought to be from Proto-Celtic *birro-. The Greek word βίρρος is borrowed from Latin.
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