What does frisure mean?
Frisure is a noun meaning a style of dressing the hair — essentially a coiffure or hairstyle. Borrowed into English from French, it carries the elegance and formality of its origins, appearing most often in historical writing, fashion commentary, and translations rather than casual speech. Where modern English speakers would say 'hairstyle' or 'hairdo', 'frisure' evokes an era of elaborate arrangements: powdered wigs, sculpted curls, and carefully dressed chignons. The word belongs to a family of French terms concerned with the dressing of hair, alongside 'coiffure' and the small temple curl known as a 'frisette'. Though rare today, it remains useful for writers seeking period flavor or precision when describing how hair is arranged rather than merely cut. Its plural form is 'frisures'. To encounter 'frisure' in text is usually a sign of eighteenth- or nineteenth-century setting, where a person's frisure could signal rank, taste, and fashion-consciousness at a glance.
nounA frisure is a particular way of dressing or arranging the hair; a coiffure or hairstyle.
- A style of dressing or arranging the hair; a coiffure.
"Her elaborate frisure of braids and curls was the talk of the ballroom."
"The portrait captures her fashionable frisure, piled high and dusted with powder."
"After hours at the salon, her new frisure transformed her entire look."
As a noun borrowed from French, frisure forms plurals in the standard English manner.
"The fashion plates displayed dozens of different frisures for the coming season."
Borrowed straight from the French salon, 'frisure' once described the towering powdered curls that defined aristocratic fashion.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of frisure
Frisure comes from the French word for a hairdressing or curled arrangement of the hair, itself derived from the verb 'friser', meaning to curl or frizz. It entered English during the period when French fashion vocabulary was widely adopted by speakers of English, particularly in the domains of dress and grooming. Related borrowings include 'coiffure', the broader term for a headdress or style of hair, and 'frisette', a small curl or wig-piece worn at the temple.
How frisure is actually used
Frisure is a somewhat old-fashioned or formal term, more common in historical, fashion-historical, or translated French contexts than in everyday modern conversation, where 'hairstyle' or 'hairdo' prevails.
Easily confused with frisure
Frisson is a sudden thrill or shiver of emotion, whereas frisure refers to a styled arrangement of the hair.