close-fitting, brimless hat worn by the ancient Romans and copied from the Greek sailor's hat called the pilos. In Roman times the head was generally left uncovered, but commoners and freed slaves sometimes wore the felt pileus.

The hat was again popular during the Renaissance, especially in Italy, when it was square or rounded and made of black or red velvet or felt. The zucchetto and the biretta, worn by some orders of clergy, developed from the pileus.