chignon means A roll or twist of hair worn at the nape of the neck; a bun. It carries an Arena rating of 1433, earned across 7 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, chignon ranks #1,936 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #3,639 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #4,860 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #5,203 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words.
chignon is pronounced /ʃɪnˈjɒn/.
Why “chignon” is a great word
A knot, twist, or coil of hair worn at the nape of the neck. From French *chignon* ("nape of the neck, bun"), from Old French *chaignon* ("iron collar, shackles, noose"), of uncertain origin, perhaps from Latin *catēna* ("chain"); borrowed into English circa 1780. Unlike a "bun," which suggests a simple, practical gathering, or an "updo," a broad category of elevated styles, a chignon is a specific and deliberate architecture at the back. It is the severe elegance of a Gibson girl, the intricate woven silence of a Victorian widow, the practised, sleek coil securing the day's proprieties—a binding both ornamental and austere, where elegance and vulnerability share a single axis at the body's hinge.
Etymology
Borrowed from French chignon circa 1780, when the hairstyle was in fashion.
noun
- A roll or twist of hair worn at the nape of the neck; a bun.e.g.“The chignon cannot be confounded with other artificialities which ladies put on and off.” — 1867, “Chignonology”, in Living Age, volume 92, page 761:
- A temporary swelling on a neonate's head after a ventouse-assisted delivery.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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