What does coiffure mean?
Word: Coiffure
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Coiffure means the way a person's hair is cut and arranged, especially when it is elaborate.
Synonyms: hairstyle, hairdo, haircut
Word origin: Comes from French coiffure, from the verb coiffer, to arrange the hair.
How do you spell coiffure?
Syllables: coif - fure
Tricky part: The ending is the trap: it is -ure, and the French -eur ending belongs to a different word, for the person who does the styling.
Watch out for: quoiffure, coiffur, kwafure
Memory tip: The word begins with coi, said kwah: an odd-looking start, but it is simply the French way of writing that sound.
Coiffure in a sentence
Example 1: The bride's coiffure was decorated with jasmine flowers and tiny pearls.
Example 2: The actor's coiffure stayed perfect even in the windy outdoor scene.
Example 3: Portraits of old queens show tall coiffures held up with pins and ribbons.
Fun Fact
In France in the 1770s some fashionable women wore towering coiffures, built up over wire frames and pads and topped with feathers, ribbons and even small models.
Practise the CREST Way
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Coiffure goes back to the French verb coiffer, which was built on coiffe, a word that means ___.
a) a pair of scissors
b) a hand mirror
c) a hair ribbon
d) a close-fitting cap
Show answer
d) a close-fitting cap. A coiffe covered the head snugly, so arranging what lay under it became coiffer.
Spellacadabra
Choose the misspelt word:
a) brochure
b) allure
c) couture
d) coifure
Show answer
d) coifure. The hair word doubles its f; the other three -ure words are spelt correctly.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
Her aunt's tall ___, with every strand of hair pinned in place, took an hour to arrange.
a) cuisine
b) couture
c) corsage
d) coiffure
Show answer
d) coiffure. Couture is fashion design, cuisine is a style of cooking and a corsage is a small bunch of flowers worn on a dress; pinned-up hair is a coiffure.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. coiffure 2. etiquette 3. souvenir a. the style in which hair has been dressed, often for an occasion b. an object you keep to remember a place c. the rules of polite behaviour
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
b) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b. Etiquette is about good manners and a souvenir brings back a trip, which leaves the dressed hair for coiffure.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Before the dance show, Riya's aunt spent an hour on her coiffure. She was most likely using ___.
a) needles and thread
b) combs, pins and hairspray
c) pots and pans
d) brushes and paint
Show answer
b) combs, pins and hairspray
2. Who is most likely to create a coiffure?
a) a jeweller
b) a cobbler
c) a tailor
d) a hairdresser
Show answer
d) a hairdresser
