Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - coif

 I. noun  Etymology: Middle English ~e, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin cofea  Date: 14th century  1. a close-fitting cap: as  a. a hoodlike cap worn under a veil by nuns  b. a protective usually metal skullcap formerly worn under a hood of mail  c. a white cap formerly worn by English lawyers and especially by serjeants-at-law; also the order or rank of a serjeant-at-law  2. ~fure  II. transitive verb  (~fed or ~ed; ~fing or ~ing)  Date: 15th century  1. to cover or dress with or as if with a ~  2. to arrange (hair) by brushing, combing, or curling