cloche

noun4

1. •
   A glass covering, originally bell-shaped, for garden plants to prevent frost damage and promote early growth.

   • Old window screens were shade cloth; flattened cardboard and carpet offcuts were weed matting; plastic bottles, when sliced in half, became little cloches to fit over seedlings to keep them warm. — 2023
2. •
   A tableware cover, often resembling a bell.

   • Pistachio and date-filled cakes glisten under a glass cloche as customers drinking cardamom tea settle into brightly tapestried pouf chairs at the Pouya café and cultural center in Paris. — 2025
3. •
   A bell-shaped, close-fitting women’s hat with a deep rounded crown and narrow rim.

   • Faux 19th-century bartenders in sleeve garters and baroque facial hair ply their trade in pre-Prohibition bars. Women wearing cloche hats order sidecars at speakeasies. — 2011
4. •
   (historical) An apparatus used in controlling certain aeroplanes, consisting principally of a steering column mounted with a universal joint at the base, which is bell-shaped and has attached to it the cables for controlling the wing-warping devices, elevator planes, etc.