 The word "kokoshnik" first appears in 16th-century documents, and comes from the Old Slavic "kokosh", which means a "hen" or a "cockerel".However, the earliest head-dress pieces of the similar type (rigid cylindrical hat which completely covered the hair) have been found in the 10th- to 12th-century burials in Veliky Novgorod.The "kokoshnik" gave its name to the decorative corbel arch that became a distinctive element of traditional Russian architecture from 16th century onwards (see kokoshnik architecture).