frizz

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

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  Rhymes: -ɪz

Etymology 1

From Middle English frysen, from Old French friser, frizer (“to frizzle, crisp, curl, ruffle, braid, touch lightly, graze, scratch”), of Germanic origin, perhaps via Old Frankish *fris (“curl”), from Proto-Germanic *frisaz (“frizzy, curly”). Cognate with Old Frisian frisle, frēsle ("the hair of the head, lock of hair, curl, ringlet"; > North Frisian friessle, fressle (“hair, horse's tail”), West Frisian frisseljen (“braid of hair, braid”)), Old English frīs (“crisped, curled”).

Verb

frizz (third-person singular simple present frizzes, present participle frizzing, simple past and past participle frizzed)

1. (intransitive) Of hair, to form into a mass of tight curls.
2. (transitive) To curl; to make frizzy.
   • John Betjeman, Slough

     In labour-saving homes, with care, / Their wives frizz out peroxide hair.

Translations

of hair: to form into a mass

• Finnish: takkuuntua (fi)

• Jèrriais: crêp'ler

Related terms

• friseur
• frizzle

Etymology 2

From Middle English fryse, from the verb. See above.

Noun

frizz (uncountable)

1. A mass of tightly curled or unruly hair.

Translations

mass of hair

• Finnish: takku (fi)

External links

• frizz in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• frizz at OneLook Dictionary Search