noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A piece of cloth used to cover the head; a bandana. dated

   "And mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap, / Had just settled down for a long winter's nap […]"

2. 2
   a square scarf that is folded into a triangle and worn over the head or about the neck wordnet

Verb

1. 1
   To cover with a kerchief. dated, transitive

Synonyms

All synonyms

capcollarhandkerchiefhatheaddressheadgear

Example

More examples

"And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap, had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap."

Etymology

From Middle English keverchef, coverchef et al., from Old French couvrechief, from couvrir (“to cover”) + chief (“head”). Compare curfew.

Related phrases

minus hand

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.