coif

English

Alternative forms

• coiffe

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kwɑf/, /kɔɪf/
• Rhymes: -ɒf, -ɔɪf

• Homophone: quaff

Etymology 1

From Middle English coif, coife, coyf, coyfe, coyffe, from Old French coife, coiffe, from Late Latin cofia, of (deprecated template usage) [etyl]  origin, related to Old High German kupphia, kupha, kupfe (“mug, hood, cap”), from Proto-Germanic *kuppijǭ (“cap, hat , bonnet, headpiece”), Proto-Germanic *kuppō (“vat, mug, cup”), from pre-Germanic *kubná-, from Proto-Indo-European *gup- (“round object, knoll”), from Proto-Indo-European *gew-, *gū- (“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.
   • H. Brocke

     From point and saucy ermine down / To the plain coif and russet gown.

   • Francis Bacon

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

Translations

hairdo

• Danish: frisure (da)
• Finnish: kampaus (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• French: coiffure (fr)
• Russian: причёска (ru) f (pričóska)

hood

• Finnish: huppu (fi)
• French: coiffe (fr) f
• Galician: cofia f
• Irish: caidhp f, beannán m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Persian: کلوته (fa) (kolute)
• Portuguese: coifa (pt) f, capuz (pt) m
• Russian: ша́почка (ru) f (šápočka), чепе́ц (ru) m (čepéc)

chain mail headgear

• Finnish: haarniskahuppu
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: coifa (pt) f

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

to style hair

• Finnish: kammata (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: причёсывать (ru) n (pričósyvatʹ)

Anagrams

• FICO, fico, foci

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Romanian

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Late Latin cofia. Compare French coiffe.

Noun

coif n (plural coifuri)

1. casque

See also

• cască