chiffon

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noun chif·fon \ shi-ˈfän , ˈshi-ˌ \

Definition of chiffon

1 :an ornamental addition (such as a knot of ribbons) to a woman's dress

2 :a sheer fabric especially of silk

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Recent Examples of chiffon from the Web

The 20-year-old beauty-preneur was spotted wearing a red chiffon dress with white polka dots.

— teryn payne, Teen Vogue, "Kylie Jenner Had a Wardrobe Malfunction and Handled It Like a Boss," 16 Aug. 2017
By that measure, director David F. Sandberg is an alchemist of the first order, taking the base — even leaden — components of horror and whipping them into a shivery chiffon of dread.

— michael o'sullivan, chicagotribune.com, "'Annabelle: Creation' review: Simple premise makes for very spooky prequel," 11 Aug. 2017
You're compelled to touch the mounds of velvet, corduroy, feathers and chiffon.

— samantha swindler, OregonLive.com, "With historic Portland costume shop closing, employee seeks to save the collection (Column)," 30 July 2017
Exaggerated patterns on chiffon dresses elevates the everyday Doc Martens–and-jean-jacket look.

— molly sj lowe, The Cut, "See the Best Street Style From Paris Haute Couture Week Fall 2017," 5 July 2017
Melania wore a pink silk chiffon dress designed by Gilles Mendel and Manolo Blahnik.

— dave quinn, PEOPLE.com, "Donald and Melania Trump Attend Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s Lavish Wedding," 25 June 2017
The first lady is wearing a Gilles Mendel silk chiffon gown with Manolo Blahnik pumps.

— avi selk and amy b wang, chicagotribune.com, "Trump lashes out at Obama over latest report on Russian election meddling," 24 June 2017
Hmm, maybe the silky chiffon frock with the beaded hem.

— angela hill, The Mercury News, "Haute canine couture: Two doggy divas to die for," 14 June 2017
And for many of these numbers the characters are backed up by the Divas (Colleen Grate, Shon Ruffin, Lexi Poindexter), golden-throated ladies in ’60s girl group chiffon who might have been plucked from a Motown revue.

— robert w. butler, kansascity.com, "Unicorn’s ‘Priscilla Queen of the Desert’ features delightful performances and music," 4 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chiffon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of chiffon

French, literally, rag, from chiffe old rag, alteration of Medieval French chipe, from Middle English chip chip

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1765

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chiffon

adjective

Definition of chiffon

1 :resembling chiffon in sheerness or softness

2 :having a light delicate texture achieved usually by adding whipped egg whites or whipped gelatin

lemon chiffon pie

First Known Use of chiffon

1903

CHIFFON Defined for English Language Learners

chiffon

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noun

Definition of chiffon for English Language Learners

: a very thin cloth made especially of silk

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See words that rhyme with chiffon Spanish Central: Translation of chiffon Nglish: Translation of chiffon for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chiffon

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