bouffant

English

Etymology

French bouffant, from Middle French; present participle of bouffer (“to puff”). Doublet of buffont.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈbuːfɑ̃/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) enPR: bo͞o-fäntʹ, IPA^(key): /buˈfɑːnt/ or enPR: bo͞oʹfänt, IPA^(key): /ˈbufɑːnt/
• Rhymes: -ɒnt

Adjective

bouffant (comparative more bouffant, superlative most bouffant)

1. Of hair or clothing, full-bodied or puffy; puffed out away from head or body.

   Her bouffant suit made her seem much heavier than her petite figure actually was.

Noun

bouffant (plural bouffants)

1. A puffy, round hairstyle, popular in the mid-to-late 16th century, characterized by hair raised high on the head and usually covering the ears or hanging down on the sides.
   • 2009, David Walliams, Mr Stink:

     Mother went a little pale. “Preposterous!” she said. “I don’t know what’s got into you!” She fiddled with her bouffant, almost as if she was nervous.

   • 2023 November 30, Matt Phillips, “Shane MacGowan, Songwriter Who Fused Punk and Irish Rebellion, Is Dead at 65”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     But by the early 1980s the energy had largely drained from the punk movement, giving way to the synthesizers, eyeliner and bouffants of so-called New Romantic bands like Duran Duran and Adam and the Ants.

Derived terms

• bouffant cap
• bouffant gown
• bouffanty
• buffont (buffant)
• semibouffant

French

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Participle

bouffant

1. present participle of bouffer

Further reading

• “bouffant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.