coiffe

See also: coiffé

English

Verb

coiffe (third-person singular simple present coiffes, present participle coiffing, simple past and past participle coiffed)

1. Alternative spelling of coif

Anagrams

• off-ice, office

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French coiffe, from Late Latin cofia, from Old High German *kuffia, *kuphia (“little cap”), diminutive of Old High German kuffa, kupha (“hood, cap”), from Proto-West Germanic *kuppu (“round object, bowl”) (see English cop). See also Middle High German kupfe (“cap”), Old High German kupphia (“cap”); also spelled coeffe up to the 18th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kwaf/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

coiffe f (plural coiffes)

1. coif (headgear in general)

   une coiffe paysanne ― a peasant's coif (similar to a white bonnet)

Usage notes

This word, except to describe folk or historical dresses, is obsolete and replaced with coiffure, chapeau, etc.

Verb

coiffe

1. inflection of coiffer:
   1. first-person singular/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “coiffe”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• office

Middle French

Etymology

From Late Latin cofia, from West Germanic origin, from Proto-West Germanic *kuffju.

See also Middle High German kupfe (“cap”), Old High German kupphia (“cap”).

Noun

coiffe f (plural coiffes)

1. coif (item of chain mail headgear)