A liripipe (also liripoop, liripipion, liripion) is a historical part of clothing, the tail of a hood or cloak, or a long-tailed hood, in particular a chaperon, or the peak of a shoe. In modern times, the liripipe mostly refers to an element of academic dress, the tail of the cowl of an academic hood. Less commonly, it may also refer to the tassel or long tail on a graduate's mortarboard.
The word is believed to originate from the Medieval Latin term 'liripipium' of unsure origin. Webster's Dictionary suggests it is a corruption of cleri ephippium (clergy's caparison)
See "academic dress" for more information on hoods.
The word "liripoop" has also the meaning of "silly person", most probably because it is an inherently funny word, cf. "Nincompoop".
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