coiffure

/kwɑˈfjʊɚ/

coiffure means hairstyle.

coiffure is pronounced /kwɑˈfjʊɚ/.

Why “coiffure” is a great word

The artful and deliberate styling or arrangement of hair, especially when intricate or fashionably elegant. Borrowed from French 'coiffure', a noun of action from 'coiffer' (to dress or arrange hair), first attested in English in the 1630s. Unlike a "haircut," which denotes a mere act of shearing or its basic shape, or the neutral generality of "hairstyle," a coiffure implies a cultivated architecture, a formal and sophisticated artifice. It is the precise geometry of a chignon, the glossy helmet of a marcel wave, the faint scent of lacquer misting the air—a silent testament to ritual and the quiet theater of being seen.

Etymology

Borrowed from French coiffure.

noun

Hairstyle.

verb

To style or arrange hair.

Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Words closest in meaning

By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.

coiffured 77% match — Styled; Having been arranged and cut, especially when in an elaborate style. vs coiffure →
coif 67% match — A hairdo. vs coiffure →
coiffeur 67% match — To cut or style hair vs coiffure →
becoiffed 66% match — Having the hair arranged in a coif. vs coiffure →
frisure 60% match — The dressing of the hair by curling. vs coiffure →
coiffeuse 57% match — A female hairdresser vs coiffure →
uncoiffed 57% match — Without a coif. vs coiffure →
hairdoed 55% match — Having a (specified kind of) hairdo. vs coiffure →