What does coiffure mean?
A coiffure is a person's hairstyle, especially one that is elaborate, carefully arranged, or formally styled. Borrowed directly from French, the word carries an air of elegance and refinement, which is why it tends to appear in contexts involving haute couture, historical portraiture, and high society rather than casual conversation. Where "haircut" or "hairstyle" describes any way of wearing one's hair, "coiffure" implies deliberate artistry — the sculpted updos of the eighteenth-century court, a bride's meticulously pinned curls, or the lacquered bouffant of a 1960s socialite. The word also has a small family of relatives: a "coiffeur" is a male hairdresser (a "coiffeuse" being female), and "coiffed" describes hair that has been neatly or elaborately styled. Though somewhat old-fashioned today, it remains a useful term when precision or a touch of glamour is wanted, and it survives prominently in fashion journalism and descriptions of period dress.
nounA person's hairstyle, especially an elaborate or carefully arranged one.
- A hairstyle, particularly one that is elaborate, formal, or carefully styled.
"She arrived at the gala with an elaborate coiffure that had taken her stylist three hours to perfect."
"The portrait captures the duchess's towering coiffure in exquisite detail."
"After an hour at the salon, she emerged with a sleek new coiffure."
The standard plural simply adds -s. It appears chiefly in historical or fashion-writing contexts describing multiple styles or the hairstyles of several people.
"The exhibition traces the extravagant coiffures of the French aristocracy across three centuries."
'Coiffure' and the punk 'quiff' are distant cousins — both trace back to the same old French word for a hood or head covering.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of coiffure
"Coiffure" entered English from French in the late eighteenth century, during a period when French fashion terminology was widely adopted into English. The French noun derives from the verb "coiffer," meaning to arrange or dress the hair, which traces back through Old French "coife" — a hood or head covering — ultimately from Late Latin "cofia." The same lineage gives English the word "coif" (both the close-fitting cap and the verb meaning to style hair) and likely underlies "quiff," making these words true cognates within English itself.
Related word forms
How coiffure is actually used
"Coiffure" carries a formal, somewhat old-fashioned or high-society register; it suggests elaborateness and artifice rather than an everyday haircut. It appears most often in fashion writing, historical description, and literary prose.
Easily confused with coiffure
A coiffure is the hairstyle itself, while a coiffeur is a person — a male hairdresser who styles hair.