cravat
UK[krəˈvæt]US[krəˈvæt]
n
a wide piece of cloth worn by a man, folded inside the collar of his shirt and tied in a knot at the front
Etymology
the word 'cravat' entered english in the mid-17th century from the french 'cravate'. the french term derived from 'cravate', the french word for a croatian, specifically referring to mercenaries from croatia (part of the military frontier of the habsburg monarchy). these croatian soldiers wore a distinctive piece of cloth knotted around their necks, which became a fashionable item in paris. the name of the people, via french, thus became permanently attached to the article of clothing they popularized, illustrating a common pattern where an ethnic identifier transforms into a concrete noun for an object associated with that culture.
Analysis
this is a loanword adopted as a simplex unit from french. it does not contain separable morphemes within modern english spelling.
Examples
he completed his formal attire with a neatly tied silk cravat.
the vintage suit was accessorized with a patterned cravat instead of a standard necktie.
the costume designer insisted on an authentic 18th-century cravat for the lead actor.