kerchief
UK /ˈkɜː.tʃɪf/ · US /ˈkɝ.t͡ʃɪf/ noun, verb
Forms kerchiefs kerchieves kerchiefing kerchiefed
- noun (dated) A piece of cloth used to cover the head; a bandana.
- verb (dated, transitive) To cover with a kerchief.
Etymology
From Middle English keverchef, coverchef et al., from Old French couvrechief, from couvrir (“to cover”) + chief (“head”). Compare curfew.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A square of fine linen worn by women as a covering for the head; hence, anything similar in form or material, worn for ornament on other parts of the person; --mostly used in compounds; as, neckerchief; breastkerchief; and later, handkerchief.
- noun A lady who wears a kerchief. Dryden.
Etymology [OE. coverchef, OF. cuevrechief, couvrechef, F. couvrechef, a head covering, fr. couvrir to cover + OF. chief head, F. chef. See Cover, Chief, and cf. Curfew.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “kerchief”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details