Word of the Day

: May 20, 2011

coiffure

noun kwah-FYUR

What It Means

: a style or manner of arranging the hair

coiffure in Context

Linda almost didn’t recognize her daughter as Elyse came off the bus with a stylish new coiffure.

"At the beginning of the tale, his character, Eddie, is a failed writer with a frizzy, unkempt hairstyle suitable for a derelict's mug shot. When he begins elevating his IQ to super-genius levels with a black-market smart pill, he graduates from the tangled, despondent look to a sleek coiffure that's at once casually windswept and impeccable from all angles." -- From a movie review by Colin Covert in The (Minneapolis) Star-Tribune, March 18, 2011

Did You Know?

First appearing in English in the 1630s, "coiffure" derives from the French verb "coiffer," which can mean "to arrange (hair)" or "to cover with a coif (any of various close-fitting caps, such as that worn under a veil by a nun)." The word is now used as a somewhat fancy way of saying "hairdo." Be careful not to confuse it with "coiffeur," which refers to a man who works as a hairdresser (and of which "coiffeuse" is the female equivalent). You may also encounter "coif" used to mean "hairstyle" -- in such cases, "coif" is operating as a shortened form of "coiffure."