cap of liberty
Preserved but no longer current.
When a slave was manu- mitted by the Romans, a small Phrygian cap, usually of red felt, called pileus, was placed on his head, he was termed hbertinus (a freed- man), and his name was registered in the city tribes. When Saturninus, in 100 B.C.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “cap of liberty” mean?
When a slave was manu- mitted by the Romans, a small Phrygian cap, usually of red felt, called pileus, was placed on his head, he was termed hbertinus (a freed- man), and his name was registered in the city tribes. When Saturninus, in 100 B.C.
Is “cap of liberty” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.