What does coiffing mean?
Coiffing is the present participle of the verb 'coif', which means to style, dress, or arrange a person's hair — often with particular care, skill, or elaborateness. To say someone is coiffing another's hair suggests deliberate artistry rather than routine grooming: a hairdresser coiffing a bride before a wedding, or a wig-maker shaping curls in the fashion of a past century. The word carries a somewhat formal, even antique tone. It descends from French 'coiffer' (to cover with a coif, later to do the hair), from the Old French 'coife', a cap or head-covering. Related English words include the nouns 'coif' (a close-fitting cap) and 'coiffure' (a hairstyle), as well as 'coiffeur', French for a (male) hairdresser. In modern usage 'coiffing' is uncommon in casual conversation but appears naturally in historical, theatrical, and fashion contexts where precise, elegant hairdressing is being described.
verb (present participle of 'coif')Coiffing is the present participle of the verb 'coif', meaning styling or arranging someone's hair, especially in an elaborate or careful manner.
- Styling or dressing someone's hair, typically in a careful, elaborate, or professional manner.
"The stylist spent the morning coiffing the bride's hair for the evening ceremony."
"The salon was busy coiffing clients ahead of the wedding season."
"She spent hours coiffing her wig into an eighteenth-century confection of curls and ribbon."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of coiffing
The word traces back through the English verb 'coif' to the French verb 'coiffer', meaning originally to cover with a coif and later to dress the hair. That French verb derives from the noun 'coife' — a hood or close-fitting cap — which entered Old French, likely via medieval Latin 'cofia'. Cognates in English include 'coiffure' (an arranged hairstyle) and 'coiffeur' (a hairdresser), both direct borrowings from French hairdressing terminology.
How coiffing is actually used
Because 'coiffing' is simply the -ing form of the verb 'coif', it inherits that verb's slightly formal, old-fashioned flavour; everyday speech usually prefers 'doing' or 'styling' someone's hair. The verb is most at home in historical writing, fashion journalism, and descriptions of elaborate period hairdressing.
Easily confused with coiffing
'Coiffing' means styling hair, while a coffin is a box in which a dead body is buried or cremated — similar spelling, entirely unrelated meanings.