Member of a European light- cavalry unit used for scouting, modeled on the 15th-century Hungarian light-horse corps.
The brilliantly coloured Hungarian hussar's uniform was imitated in other European armies; it consisted of a busby (high cylindrical cloth cap), a jacket with heavy braiding, and a dolman (loose coat worn hanging from the left shoulder). Several hussar regiments of the British army were converted from light dragoon s in the 19th century; they survive today as armoured units.