different between coif vs coiffure

English

Alternative forms

• coiffe

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kw?f/, /k??f/

  Rhymes: -?f, -??f

• Homophone: quaff

Etymology 1

From Middle English coif, coife, coyf, coyfe, coyffe, from Old French coife, coiffe, from Late Latin cofia, from Proto-West Germanic *kuffju, related to Old High German kupphia, kupha, kupfe (“mug, hood, cap”), from Proto-Germanic *kuppij? (“cap, hat , bonnet, headpiece”), Proto-Germanic *kupp? (“vat, mug, cup”), from pre-Germanic *kubná-, from Proto-Indo-European *gup- (“round object, knoll”), from Proto-Indo-European *gew-, *g?- (“to bend, curve, arch, vault”). Cognate with Middle High German kupfe (“cap, headgear, helmet”).

Noun

coif (plural coifs)

1. A hairdo.
2. (historical) A hood; a close-fitting cap covering much of the head, widespread until the 18th century; after that worn only by small children and country women.
3. (historical) An item of chain mail headgear.
4. An official headdress, such as that worn by certain judges in England.
   • c. 1620, Francis Bacon, letter of advice to Sir George Villiers

     The judges, […] although they are not of the first magnitude, nor need be of the degree of the coif, yet are they considerable.

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English coifen, from Old French coifier, from the noun (see above).

Verb

coif (third-person singular simple present coifs, present participle coiffing or coifing, simple past and past participle coiffed or coifed)

1. (transitive) To style or arrange hair.
   • 1925, Ezra Pound, Canto I:

     Circe’s this craft, the trim-coifed goddess.

Translations

Anagrams

• FICO, fico, foci

Romanian

Etymology

From Late Latin cofia. Compare French coiffe.

Noun

coif n (plural coifuri)

1. casque

See also

• casc?

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French coiffure.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kw??fj??(?)/

Noun

coiffure (countable and uncountable, plural coiffures)

1. hairstyle

Translations

Verb

coiffure (third-person singular simple present coiffures, present participle coiffuring, simple past and past participle coiffured)

1. (transitive) to style or arrange hair

Anagrams

• coiffeur

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kwa.fy?/

Noun

coiffure f (plural coiffures)

1. headwear, headgear (garment worn on someone's head)
2. hairstyle

Derived terms

• coiffure à la garçonne
• salon de coiffure

Related terms

• coiffer
• coiffeur

Descendants

• ? English: coiffure

Further reading

• “coiffure” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• coiffeur