kerchief : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: kerchief	by the DICT Development Group
3 results for kerchief
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
kerchief n a square scarf that is folded into a triangle and worn over the head or about the neck
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Kerchief \Ker"chief\, n.; pl. {Kerchiefs}. [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}.] 1. 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. He might put on a hat, a muffler, and a kerchief, and so escape. --Shak. Her black hair strained away To a scarlet kerchief caught beneath her chin. --Mrs. Browning. 2. A lady who wears a kerchief. --Dryden.
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:
Kerchief mentioned only Ezek. 13:18, 21, as an article of apparel or ornament applied to the head of the idolatrous women of Israel. The precise meaning of the word is uncertain. It appears to have been a long loose shawl, such as Oriental women wrap themselves in (Ruth 3:15; Isa. 3:22). Some think that it was a long veil or head-dress, denoting by its form the position of those who wore it.