Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Nearby Entries
coif - 9 dictionary results
Santa Monica Hair Salon
 Stylist to the Stars Glamorous and Trendy Hairstyles
 www.Byu-ti.com

coif

1  [koif]
Use coif in a Sentence
–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.
3. a cap similar to a skullcap, formerly worn by sergeants at law.
4. Armor. a covering for the head and neck, made of leather, padded cloth, or mail.
5. British. the rank or position of a sergeant at law.
–verb (used with object)
6. to cover or dress with or as with a coif.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME coyf(e) < AF coife, OF coiffe < LL cofia, cofea headdress, sort of cap < WGmc *kuf(f)ja

coif

2  [kwahf, koif]
–noun, verb (used with object)
coiffure (defs. 1, 3).
Also, coiffe.

Origin:
prob. back formation from coiffure, or < F coiffer, its base
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To coif
coif   (koif)   
n.  
  1. also (kwäf) A coiffure.
  2. A tight-fitting cap worn under a veil, as by nuns.
  3. A white skullcap formerly worn by English lawyers.
  4. A heavy skullcap of steel or leather, formerly worn under a helmet or mail hood.
tr.v.   coifed, coif·ing, coifs
  1. also (kwäf) To arrange or dress (the hair).
  2. To cover with or as if with a coif.

[Middle English, from Old French coife, from Late Latin cofea, helmet, of Germanic origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Main Entry:  coif
Part of Speech:  n
Definition:  See queif
Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon
Copyright © 2003-2009 Dictionary.com, LLC
Cite This Source

Coif

Coif\ (koif) , n. [OF. coife, F. coiffe, LL. cofea, cuphia, fr. OHG. kuppa, kuppha, miter, perh. fr. L. cupa tub. See Cup, n.; but cf. also Cop, Cuff the article of dress, Quoif, n.] A cap. Specifically: (a) A close-fitting cap covering the sides of the head, like a small hood without a cape. (b) An official headdress, such as that worn by certain judges in England. [Written also quoif.]

From point and saucy ermine down To the plain coif and russet gown. --H. Brocke.

The judges, . . . althout they are not of the first magnitude, nor need be of the degree of the coif, yet are they considerable. --Bacon.

Coif

Coif\ (koif), v. t. [Cf. F. coiffer.] To cover or dress with, or as with, a coif.

And coif me, where I'm bald, with flowers. --J. G. Cooper.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

coif 
"close-fitting cap," c.1330, from O.Fr. coife, from L.L. coifa "a cap, hood," of W.Gmc. origin (cf. M.H.G. kupfe "cap").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

COIF language
Fortran with interactive graphic extensions for circuit design, on UNIVAC 1108.
["An Interactive Software System for Computer-Aided Design: An Application to Circuit Projects", CACM 9(13), Sep 1970].
(1995-01-04)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
Cite This Source

coif

close-fitting cap of white linen that covered the ears and was tied with strings under the chin, like a baby's bonnet. It appeared at the end of the 12th century as an additional head protection worn under the hood by men, and it persisted into the 16th century as ecclesiastic or legal headgear, sometimes worn alone, sometimes as an undercap.

Learn more about coif with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see coif on Thesaurus | Reference
Santa Monica Hair Salon
 Stylist to the Stars Glamorous and Trendy Hairstyles
 www.Byu-ti.com
>