noun
Meaning 1
A hairdo.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
coif
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/kwɑf/
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/kɔɪf/
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rhymes with -ɒf
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rhymes with -ɔɪf
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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homophone: quaff
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CMU ARPABET: K W AA1 F Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: historical
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A similar item of mail armour covering the head.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: historical
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
An official headdress, such as that worn by certain judges in England.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- 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.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 5
To style or arrange hair.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
a skullcap worn by nuns under a veil or by soldiers under a hood of mail or formerly by British sergeants-at-law
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: skullcap
noun
Meaning 7
the arrangement of the hair (especially a woman's hair)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: hairdo, hairstyle, hair style, coiffure
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: hair
Narrower terms: beehive, bouffant, haircut, Afro, Afro hairdo, bang, fringe, bob, wave, braid, plait, tress, twist, chignon, marcel, pageboy, pompadour, ponytail, roach, scalp lock, thatch
verb
Meaning 8
arrange attractively
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- dress my hair for the wedding
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: dress, arrange, set, do, coiffe, coiffure
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: groom, neaten
Narrower terms: bob, wave
verb
Meaning 9
cover with a coif
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: cover
History
Etymology
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 *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- (“to bend, curve, arch, vault”). Cognate with Middle High German kupfe (“cap, headgear, helmet”).
From Middle English coifen, from Old French coifier, from the noun (see above).
Across languages
Translations
31 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Czech: účes — hairdo
- Danish: frisure — hairdo
- Dutch: kapsel — hairdo
- Finnish: kampaus — hairdo
- French: coiffure — hairdo
- Hungarian: frizura — hairdo
- Russian: причёска (pričóska) — hairdo
- Swedish: frisyr — hairdo
- Catalan: còfia — hood
- Finnish: huppu — hood
- French: coiffe — hood
- Galician: cofia — hood
- German: Bundhaube — hood
- Hebrew: שָׁבִיס (shavís) — hood
- Irish: caidhp — hood
- Irish: beannán — hood
- Persian: کلوته (kolute) — hood
- Portuguese: coifa — hood
- Portuguese: capuz — hood
- Russian: ша́почка (šápočka) — hood
- Russian: чепе́ц (čepéc) — hood
- Spanish: cofia — hood
- Swedish: kalott — hood
- Finnish: haarniskahuppu — chain mail headgear
- German: Kettenhaube — chain mail headgear
- Portuguese: coifa — chain mail headgear
- Spanish: cofia — chain mail headgear
- Spanish: almófar — chain mail headgear
- Dutch: kappen — to style hair
- Finnish: kammata — to style hair
- Russian: причёсывать (pričósyvatʹ) — to style hair