coif

English

Alternative forms

• coiffe, quiff, quaff

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kwɑf/, /kɔɪf/

  Rhymes: -ɒf, -ɔɪf

• Audio (US)

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• Audio (Southern England)

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• Audio (Southern England)

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• 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 *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”).

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) A similar item of chain mail headgear covering the head.

   Coordinate terms: aventail, camail

4. An official headdress, such as that worn by certain judges in England.
   • 1744, Henry Brooke, The Temple of Hymen:

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

   • 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

hairdo

• Czech: účes (cs) m
• Danish: frisure (da)
• Finnish: kampaus (fi)
• French: coiffure (fr)
• Hungarian: frizura (hu)
• Russian: причёска (ru) f (pričóska)

hood

• Finnish: huppu (fi)
• French: coiffe (fr) f
• Galician: cofia f
• German: Bundhaube f
• Hebrew: שָׁבִיס (he) m (shavís)
• Irish: caidhp f, beannán m
• 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
• German: Kettenhaube f
• 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)
• Russian: причёсывать (ru) n (pričósyvatʹ)

Anagrams

• FICO, fico, foci

Romanian

Etymology

Inherited from Late Latin cofia, from Proto-West Germanic *kuffju. Compare French coiffe.

Noun

coif n (plural coifuri)

1. casque

Declension

Declension of coif

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) coif	coiful	(niște) coifuri	coifurile
genitive/dative	(unui) coif	coifului	(unor) coifuri	coifurilor
vocative	coifule		coifurilor

See also

• cască