Hairnet

A hairnet, or sometimes simply a net or caul, is a small, often elasticised, fine net worn over long hair to hold it in place. It is often worn by food service workers to prevent hair from contaminating the food. A snood is similar but a looser fit and with a much coarser mesh.

Evidence has been found of hairnets as far back as ancient Greece [http://classics.furman.edu/Classics/GreekFashion/page37.htm] .Hairnets were worn from the 13th century onwards in Germany and England and are shown in illustrations from this period often worn with a wimple. They were made from extremely fine silk and edged with bands of either finger-weaving or tablet-weaving. [http://members.tripod.com/nicolaa5/articles/hairnet.htm]

*Ena Sharples, an early character in the UK soap opera Coronation Street, was famous for wearing a hairnet.

Other uses

The word has been adopted by several organisations in computing and the world wide web.

*Hairnet in the UK, subsequently renamed Digital Unite, is a network of older self-employed computer trainers. [http://www.hairnet.org/] .

*In cycling, a hairnet was the popular term given to a bicycle helmet consisting of padded leather straps [http://www.branfordbike.com/helmet/helmet1.htm] .