CAPPUCCIO. — It is the upper part of the garment with which the ancients covered their heads and which was called *cucullus*.
It is used by monks, religious, and members of various sodalities or confraternities, and in some monastic Congregations it is worn in choir in place of the biretta. Its form varies according to the different religious Orders; in some, it is simply a head covering, while in others it is a kind of short cape or mozzetta that covers the head or shoulders, as among the Friars Minor, or is elongated in shape, as among the Capuchins, from whom they take their name. In ancient times, canons and prelates also covered their heads with it, and a remnant of this practice survives in the small *cappuccio* found on the mozzetta. The *cappuccio* owes its origin chiefly to practicality: it served to cover the head in cold and rainy weather.
The *cappa magna* or solemn cape of prelates is also furnished with an ample *cappuccio* attached at the back, which is used only on the most extraordinary occasions.