coif

1
[ kwahf, koif ]
See synonyms for coif on Thesaurus.com
noun, verb (used with object)

Origin of coif

1
Probably a back formation from coiffure, or from French coiffer, its base
  • Also coiffe [kwahf] /kwɑf/ .

Words Nearby coif

Other definitions for coif (2 of 2)

coif2
[ koif ]

noun
  1. a hood-shaped cap, usually of white cloth and with extended sides, worn beneath a veil, as by nuns.

  2. any of various hoodlike caps, varying through the centuries in shape and purpose, worn by men and women.

  1. a cap similar to a skullcap, formerly worn by sergeants at law.

  2. Armor. a covering for the head and neck, made of leather, padded cloth, or mail.

  3. British. the rank or position of a sergeant at law.

verb (used with object)
  1. to cover or dress with or as with a coif.

Origin of coif

2
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English coyf(e), from Anglo-French coife, Old French coiffe, from Late Latin cofia, cofea “headdress, sort of cap,” from unattested West Germanic kuf(f)ja
  • Also coiffe [koif] /kɔɪf/ .

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use coif in a sentence

  • On No. 12 of the same plate we see the helm being put on over the mail coif; the padded cap is worn under the mail.

    Armour & Weapons | Charles John Ffoulkes
  • A coif of black lace covered her upturned hair, framed her sweet face, and was tied soberly under her chin.

  • Katherine tied the white, lace coif she wore a little tighter beneath her chin.

  • A complete suit of mail, with coif and mufflers, late twelfth century, said to have been found in a coffin in Goring Church.

    Armour in England | J. Starkie Gardner

British Dictionary definitions for coif

coif

/ (kɔɪf) /


noun
  1. a close-fitting cap worn under a veil, worn in the Middle Ages by many women but now only by nuns

  2. any similar cap, such as a leather cap worn under a chain-mail hood

  1. (formerly in England) the white cap worn by a serjeant at law

  2. a base for the elaborate women's headdresses of the 16th century

  3. (kwɑːf) a less common word for coiffure (def. 1)

verbcoifs, coiffing or coiffed (tr)
  1. to cover with or as if with a coif

  2. (kwɑːf) to arrange (the hair)

Origin of coif

1
C14: from Old French coiffe, from Late Latin cofea helmet, cap, of obscure origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012