coiffe
English
Verb
coiffe (third-person singular simple present coiffes, present participle coiffing, simple past and past participle coiffed)
- Alternative spelling of coif
Anagrams
- off-ice, office
French
Etymology
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)
- 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This word, except to describe folk or historical dresses, is obsolete and replaced with coiffure, chapeau, etc.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
- inflection of coiffer:
- first-person singular/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
- 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)
- coif (item of chain mail headgear)