Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A roll or knot of hair worn at the back of the head or especially at the nape of the neck.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A woman's hair gathered behind the head, or at the nape of the neck, in a roll or mass; specifically, such a roll when made very large, as by arranging the hair over a cushion. Chignons have been made with false hair as a separate article of trade.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A knot, boss, or mass of hair, natural or artificial, worn by a woman at the back of the head.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a roll of hair worn at the nape of the neck
Etymologies
- From French chignon. (Wiktionary)
- French, from Old French chaignon, chain, collar, nape, from Vulgar Latin *catēniō, from Latin catēna, chain. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“I remembered my mother in her glamorous days with her exotic wide smile, rolling her dark hair up and back into what she called a chignon as she was getting dressed for an evening out.”
“The standing totem with ammonite head attachments that extend like an exaggerated chignon is a universal female spirit fashioned by an acclaimed California artist who also happens to be a friend.”
The Virgin dialogue - an excerpt from the book: Agave Marias
“The word chignon, in the language of society, denotes that prominence of the cranium which is to be seen at the back of ladies 'heads.”
“Have fun at the party (if you head survives the chignon, that is). pierre l |”
“It was the style to wear at that time what was called "chignon" or waterfall.”
Twice Sold, Twice Ransomed Autobiography of Mr. and Mrs. L. P. Ray
“Chinese ladies often use it as a kind of chignon; and it is an historical fact that a famous Empress, who set aside the Emperor and ruled China with an”
“His decorations added to his queer appearance; scarred by deep gashes on chest and arms, his body was daubed with red ochre, and his ribs picked out with white; on his head a kind of chignon formed of grass, hair, and string held his matted locks in place, like a bird's nest on his crown; he had neither beard nor whiskers, and was not blessed with any article of clothing whatever.”
“We prepared for the combat by covering our bodies with grease; and I had my long hair securely tied up into a kind of "chignon" at the back of my head.”
“These two natives had their hair tied up in a kind of chignon at the back of the head, the hair being dragged back off the forehead from infancy.”
“The earrings consisted of thick silver-wire hoops, some of the women having the ends of their necklaces attached to them, and then looped up into a sort of "chignon" behind.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘chignon’.
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phrontistery - c
from phrontistery.info
caballine, cabas, cable, caboched, cabochon, caboose, cabotage, cabré, cabrie, cabriole, cabriolet, cacaesthesia and 1298 more...
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wallace
Remington, Windsor, prorector, wen, aver, mottle, seltzer, tepee, lapidary, effete, sotto, presbyopia and 355 more...
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Logolepsy
"Luciferous Logolepsy is a collection of over 9,000 obscure English words. Though the definition of an 'English' word might seem to be straightforward, it is not. There exist so many adopted, deriv...
Anschauung, Areopagus, Argus, Briarean, Dei gratia, Dei judicium, Deo volente, Duecento, Foehn, Geflugelte Worte, Gegenschein, Hakenkreuz and 9230 more...
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Wig
Wiggery. Even though kalayzich got there first with the list called wigs.
paresseuse, nob-thatcher, rogerian, bob-jerom, gregorian, pigeonwing, pulvil, bagwig, vallancy, tye-wig, Bob, bob-wig and 33 more...
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Pale Fire
Words gathered while reading Pale Fire.
larches, torquate, stillicide, vermiculate, preterist, theolatry, iridule, vulgarian, cloutish, lemniscate, torsion, trillium and 176 more...
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Words Covered in Faery Dust (C)
words that evoke magic, mystery, mayhem, magnificence or anything else that glimmers in the grass
cacophony, cad, cajole, calamity, camomile, camphor, candlemas, candy apple, canopy, canticle, caparison, caravan and 304 more...
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Infinite Jest
Words taken from Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.
prorector, monograph, post-fourier, snuffle, rototremble, creatus, enfilade, subanimalistic, balletic, espadrilles, leonine, cirri and 1153 more...
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NakedFringe's Words
masticate, chamber, orchid, mandolin, yellow, pomegranate, conundrum, paradox, gyrate, calamitous, opalescent, cacophony and 533 more...
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learning
A list of words whose meanings I am learning, either because a) I don't know the meaning b) I know the meaning, but could stand to better appreciate certain inflections or secondary meanings or c) ...
louche, educe, loam, cob, sclerotic, palliate, axial, syndicalist, ecumenical, sally, fatuous, parvenu and 1387 more...
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msc's Words
pugilist, threepeat, bloviate, palaver, syncreism, pastiche, eschatology, peripatetic, glossolalia, busker, nudnik, troglodyte and 213 more...
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hairstyles
bun, bobtail, ponytail, cornrow, odango*, updo, bouffant, plait, braid, bunches, buzzcut, combover and 331 more...
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wordsmithing part deux
because wordsmith is not a verb.
enmity, incarnate, chignon, nape, solitude, nocturne, decorum, warren, svelte, interstice, serene, charlotte and 488 more...
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hair apparent
all things hair
shears, bleach, razor, mullet, blonde, redhead, tresses, sideburn, scrunchie, pomade, gel, afro and 12 more...
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Give Me a Head With Hair
blonde, brunette, ginger, titian, redhead, follicle, afro, mullet, dandruff, pomade, bouffant, dreadlocks and 16 more...
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embellish
and embellishment and embellishing
trim, deck, dress, garnish, adorn, embroider, grace, decorate, aggrandize, dramatize, dramatise, pad and 64 more...
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head wear
head-where: head-ware: head (at)tire
sallet, kangol, halo, peruke, cockade, tam, beret, helmet, hood, circlet, phylactery, chignon and 51 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for chignon.
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