A
hood is a kind of
headgear that covers most of the
head and
neck and sometimes the
face. Hoods that cover mainly the sides and top of the head, and leave the face mostly or partly open may be worn for protection from the environment (typically cold weather or rain), for fashion, as a form of traditional
dress or
uniform, or in the case of knights, an armoured hood is used for protection against bladed weapons. In some cases, hoods are used to prevent the wearer from seeing where they are going (e.g., in cases where a prisoner is hooded). Hoods with eye holes can be used to prevent the wearer from being identified, as in the case of
Ku Klux Klan members or
Islamic terrorists.