Forms: 3–7 coyfe, 4–5 coyffe, coyf, 6 coiffe, 6–7 coife, quoife, 7–9 quoif, 5– coif; (also 4. koife, coyif, coyphe, 5 koyf, 7 koyfe, 8 quoiff; 6 Sc. kuafe, queif, quayf, 7 quaiffe, quaife). [ME. coyfe, a. OF. coife, coiffe (= Prov. cofa, Sp. cofia, Pg. coifa, It. cuffía):—late L. *cuffia (cofea in Venant. Fortunatus, cuphia in Alcuin), supposed by Diez and others to represent an OHG. *kupphja, deriv. of OHG. chuppha, MHG. kupfe cap.]
1. A close-fitting cap covering the top, back, and sides of the head.
† a. In early use a cap of this kind, tied like a night-cap under the chin, worn out of doors by both sexes. † b. In later use, worn by men only as a night-cap, skull-cap, under-cap. Obs.
[1292. Britton, I. vi. § 2. Et cum aucuns felouns vendrount en jugement a respoundre de lour felonie, volom nous qe il veignent dechaucez et deceyntz sauntz coyfe, et a teste descoverte, en pure lour cote.]
c. 1325. Poem temp. Edw. II. (Percy), xvi. A coyf to bind with his locks.
a. 1350. Evil Times Edw. II., 117, in Pol. Songs (Camden), 329. Somme [wantonne prestes] … ben ashamed of the werke the bishop hem bitok, At even he set upon a koife, and kembeth the croket.
1490. Caxton, Eneydos, xvi. 62. He maketh his longe heres to be bounden in a coyffe rounde aboute his hed.
1533. Elyot, Cast. Helthe, IV. (R.). I dyd throwe away my quylted cappe, and my other close bonnettes, and onely dyd lye in a thynne coyfe.
1591. Florio, 2nd Fruites, 131. To thee, all catts are graie in the darke and euerie quoife will serue a nights.
1603. Ceremonies at Coronat. Jas. I. (1685), 8. A shallow Quoif is put on the Kings head.
1647. Fuller, Good Th. in Worse T. (1841), 81. A grant of liberty from Queen Mary to Henry Ratcliffe earl of Sussex, giving him leave to wear a night-cap or coif in her majesty’s presence.
a. 1662. Heylin, Laud, Introd. (1671), 17. No man shall cover his head in the Church or cChappel in time of Divine Service, except he have some Infirmity; in which case let him wear a night-Cap or Coife.
1700. Congreve, Way of World, V. v. In a quoif like a man-midwife.
1834. Planché, Brit. Costume, 96. A white coif tied under the chin is [temp. Hen. III.] frequently seen upon the heads of persons hunting or on horseback.
c. A cap of the night-cap form worn by women in-doors or under a bonnet. Obs. or dial. Also,
d. applied to head-coverings worn by women in foreign countries.
c. 1450. Merlin, xxvii. 507. She wolde make a coyf for hir suster.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, IV. iv. 19. Hir brycht tressis envolupit war and wound Intill a kuafe [ed. 1710 queif] of fyne gold wyrin threid.
1603. Philotus, xxii. Than may ȝe haue baith Quaiffis and Kellis, Hich Candie Ruffes and Barlet Bellis.
1621. J. Reynolds, God’s Rev. agst. Murder, I. iii. 93. Shee is inforced, yea, faine to sell away her quaives, her bands, and her upper coat.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, II. 465/1. A gathered, or drawing Quoife … runneth upon strings which may be made wider or closer.
1707. E. Ward, Hud. Rediv., II. v. 16. Old Bawds … Cloking their Coives with modest Dress, And outward Signs of Holiness.
1727. Swift, Baucis & Philemon. Instead of home-spun coifs, were seen Good pinners edg’d with colberteen.
1816. Scott, Old Mort., xxxix. The coif—the apron—the blue checked gown, were all those of old Ailie.
1855. Whitby Gloss., Coif, a cap, an old-fashioned lace head-dress for females.
[1598. Hakluyt, Voy., I. 497 (R.). Ouer that her cappe (made after the coife fashion of cloth of gold) called Shapka Tempska.]
1617. Moryson, Itin., III. IV. i. 173. The married women [of Italy] wear their heads bare, or couered with a fine linnen coyfe.
1796. Morse, Amer. Geog., II. 478. They [Circassian women] wear a black coif on their heads.
1813. S. Rogers, Jacquel., 90. Sabot and coif, and collerette.
1882. Day of Rest, 211/1. [Brittany.] The women wear the white coif of stiftly-starched muslin, which stand out behind something like a horn.
e. transf.
1481. Caxton, Reynard, xxxiv. (Arb.), 101. See, my lord the kyng, thus gate he his rede coyf.
1756–7. trans. Keysler’s Trav. (1760), IV. 283. A calf with two heads, with a kind of coif growing over one of them.
† 2. An ecclesiastical head-dress. (Applied by Wyclif to that of the Jewish priests.) Obs.
1382. Wyclif, Ex. xxviii. 37. It shall be vpon the coyif [1388 mytre, Vulg. tiaram] standing ouer to the forheed of the bishop. Ibid., 39. The coif of bijs.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 86. Coyfe v. cappe, tena … Cappe, or hure, for clerkys, tena.
1574. J. Studley, trans. Bale’s Pageant Popes, To Rdr. How can that foundation stand which is made of … tippets, coifs, chrisms.
3. A white cap formerly worn by lawyers as a distinctive mark of their profession; esp. that worn by a serjeant-at-law as part of his official dress; afterwards represented by the white border or a small patch of black silk on the top of the wig.
Fairholt says that ‘In the rolls of the wardrobe of King Richard II. (1391) is an entry for twenty-one linen coifs for counterfeiting men of the law, in the King’s Play at Christmas.’
1399. Langl., Rich. Redeles, III. 320. Þey cared ffor no coyffes that men of court vsyn.
1597. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., V. § 66 (1617), 356. A linnen Coife … an ornament which onely Sergeants at Law doe weare.
1680. Lond. Gaz., No. 1512/3. The late Elected and Sworn Serjeants at Law did this day perform the Ceremony of walking in their Coifs to Westminster, from Grays-Inn.
c. 1710. Celia Fiennes, Diary (1888), 261. [The Serjeant] has a Coiffe put on his head, which is a black satten cap wth a white Lace or Edge round ye bottom.
1708. J. Chamberlayne, St. Gt. Brit., I. II. xiii. (1743), 110. A Serjeant at Law … is obliged to wear a lawn coif under his cap.
1884. Pall Mall Gaz., 29 May, 4/2. He [Mr. Serjeant Pulling] shows that … the white border is the real representation by survival of the coif, the black patch representing the cornered cap which was worn above it. The coif was originally a kind of white hood, made apparently of lawn, which completely covered the head in the same way that a barrister’s wig does now.
b. The position or order of serjeant-at-law.
1522. Skelton, Why nat to Court, 313. He countys them foles and dawes, Sergyauntes of the coife eke.
1614. Selden, Titles Hon., 358. The Judges and Barons of the degree of the coife.
1640–4. in Rushw., Hist. Coll., III. (1692), I. 330. These Brothers of the Coyfe.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 89, ¶ 1. No less a man than a Brother of the Coif.
1770. Foote, Lame Lover, III. 54. O! fye! have a proper respect for the coif.
1884. Serjt. Pulling (title), The Order of the Coif.
1889. B. C. Robinson, Bench & Bar, 237. Serjeant Murphy died before I took the coif.
† 4. A close-fitting skull-cap of iron or steel, or later, of leather, worn under the helmet; the skull-cap of a helmet. Obs. exc. Hist.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 898. Ys helm, ys coyphe, ys habryioun alle þay hadde to-rente.
c. 1450. Merlin, x. 164. The kynge ban hym yaf so grete a stroke thourgh the helme that he slyt the sercle and the koyf of Iren to the heed.
c. 1489. Caxton, Sonnes of Aymon, i. 44. The coyffe of stele that made his stroke to slyde.
1525. Ld. Berners, Froiss., II. clxviii. [clxiv.] 475. The thirde course they vnhelmed eche other, so that bothe sate bareheaded in their coyfes. Ibid. (c. 1530), Arth. Lyt. Bryt. (1814), 271. He strake Arthur on the helme; so that it entred till it came to the coyfe of stele, and then the stroke dydde glente downe towarde the lyft syde, and strake awaye as muche of the hawberk as it touched.
1597. Shaks., 2 Hen. IV., I. i. 147. Hence thou sickly Quoife, Thou art a guard too wanton for the head.
1766. D. Barrington, Observ. Statutes, 202, note. The coif was originally an iron plate or scull-cap, worn by Knights under their Helmet.
1834. Planché, Brit. Costume, 74. The cow of mail being drawn over a steel cap called a coif-de-fer.
1874. Boutell, Arms & Arm., vii. 109. This hauberk … had a hood or coif; and over this hood, as a second defence for the head, the close-fitting iron helm was worn.
† 5. A surgical cap for the head or other part.
1599. A. M., trans. Gabelhouer’s Bk. Physicke, 2/1. Mixe them very well the one with the other, and then ether of a kercher or of Taffataye make a Quoife, and insparge therin this poulder…. Thou shalt wear this Quoife three or four times in a weeke, both night and day.
1767. Gooch, Treat. Wounds, I. 312. A bandage with six tails, or a kind of coif with lappets affixed to it, may be found very applicable in some cases.
† 6. The amnion enveloping the fœtus. Obs.
1545. Raynold, Byrth Mankynde, 38. The mydwifes communelye call it the coyfe or byggyn of the chylde.
1611. Cotgr., Agneliere, Th’ inmost of the three membranes which enwrap a wombe-lodged infant; called by some Midwives, the Coyfe, or Biggin of the child.
7. ‘Applied to the calyptra of mosses.’ (Syd. Soc. Lex., 1832.)
8. attrib. and comb.
1598. Hakluyt, Voy., I. 497 (R.). Her cap made after the coife fashion.
1810. Scott, Lady of L., III. xx. In rude, but glad procession, came Bonneted sire and coif-clad dame.
