coif

• coiffe, quiff, quaff

• IPA^(key): /kwɑf/, /kɔɪf/

  Rhymes: -ɒf, -ɔɪf

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• Homophone: quaff

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”).

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.

From Middle English coifen, from Old French coifier, from the noun (see above).

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.

• FICO, fico, foci

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

coif n (plural coifuri)

1. casque

• cască