Mitre

Mitre, is the rendering in the Auth. Vers. of the Hebrew word מַצנֶפֶת. (mitsne'pheth, something rolled around the head), spoken especially of the turban or head-dress of the high-priest (Ex 28:4,37,39; Ex 29:6; Ex 39:28,31; Le 8:9; Le 16:4; for its form, see Josephus, Ant. 3:7, 3; Braun, De Vestitu sacerd. Heb. page 624 sq.; Toppffer, De tiaris summi et ninorum sacerdotum,, Vitemb. 1722; Funcke, De tiara pontif. Ebr. Gies. 1728), once of a royal crown ("diadem," Eze 21:26); also צָנַיŠ(tsaniph', from the same root), spoken of a tiara or head-band, e.g. of men (Job 29:14, "diadem"), of women (Isa 3:23, "hood"), of the highpriest (Zec 3:5), and once of the king (Isa 62:3, "diadem," where the text has צָנוֹŠ or צָנוּŠ). See BONNET; see CROWN; see PRIEST.

MITRE is the name given also to the head-dress worn in solemn Church services by the pope, the bishops, abbots, and certain other prelates of the Church of Rome. The name, as probably the ornament itself, is borrowed from the Orientals, although, in its present form, it is not in use in the Greek , Church, or in any other of the churches of the various E astern rites. The Western mitre is a tall, tongue-shaped cap, terminating in a twofold point, which is supposed to symbolize the "cloven tongues," in the form of which the Holy Ghost was imparted to the apostles, and is furnished with two flaps, which fall behind over the shoulders.