▪ I. ‖ pouf1
(puːf)
Also pouff(e.
[F. pouf; cf. puff n.]
1. a. A kind of elaborate female head-dress fashionable late in the 18th century. b. A high roll or pad of hair worn by women. Also attrib.
| 1817 M. Edgeworth Harrington xiii, [Describing the mode of hair-dressing c 1780] At the top of the mount of hair and horsehair.., there was sometimes a fly-cap, or a wing-cap, or a pouf. 1893 G. Hill Hist. Eng. Dress II. 231 In 1825 the hair was arranged in high poufs drawn to the left side. 1902 Westm. Gaz. 2 Jan. 3/2 It is still the wreath of little green leaves that is most popular for wearing in the hair. These are worn now just cresting the pouf of the hair. 1905 Ibid. 9 Mar. 8/2 It must mean the elevation by pouf and curl and twist and twirl of the coiffure. |
2. Dressmaking. A part of a dress gathered up in a projection or bunch. Also attrib.
| 1869 Latest News 3 Oct. 5 The enormous pouffs from the waist behind..will be abandoned with but little regret. 1874 Echo 30 Dec., At the back the pouff is replaced by the skirt being closely drawn together a little distance below the waist. 1884 Bazaar 19 Dec. 658/1 The space being filled up by an airy little pouf of tulle. 1906 Queen 28 Apr. p. viii/3 A quaint pouf sleeve. 1976 State Jrnl. (Lansing, Mich.) 11 July D 1/6 Designed with deep pouf sleeves. 1977 New Yorker 11 July 84/3 Noelle demonstrates her virginal contempt by choosing a white strapless evening dress with a pouf of fabric. |
3. A very soft stuffed ottoman or couch; now usu. a low stuffed or padded seat or cushion.
| 1884 Girl's Own Paper Feb. 211/3 A very usual seat in a drawing-room now is a Moorish or oriental pouf. 1894 Wilkins & Vivian Green Bay Tree I. 130 Seating himself on a low pouffe at her feet. 1919 ‘C. Dane’ Legend 32 Mrs Howe was in the chair... The Baxter girl crouched on the pouf. 1925 C. S. Taylor Pract. Upholstery xi. 96 The pouffe, or floor cushion, is much in favour. 1949 A. Christie Crooked Horse xiv. 106 Roger was astride a big pouffé [sic] by the fire⁓place. 1956 M. Shulman in Good Housekeeping July 51/2 You rented an apartment in Greenwich village and sat on a pouf. 1962 A. Sampson Anat. Brit. i. i. 22 Between the two sides is something which looks like a huge red pouff, with a back-rest in the middle of it: this is ‘the Woolsack’. 1968 C. M. Vines Little Nut-Brown Man iii. 58 He held out the cutting towards me, down to where I was sitting on the pouffe, his thumbnail indicating a line of it. 1974 S. Coulter Château ii. vi. 281 This little room..stuffed with Algerian poufs and cushions and ottomans. |
Hence poufed (puːft) a., decorated with a pouf; dressed, as hair, in the form of a pouf.
| 1905 Daily Chron. 17 Apr. 8/4 This collar extends just over the poufed sleeves and the fulness of the square-cut corsage. 1906 P.T.O. I. 44/1 There is something to be said, also, against hair too much ‘poufed’ out, hats poised at too acute an angle. |
▪ II. pouf2
var. poof n.1
▪ III. pouf(f, poufter
varr. poof int., n.2 and v., poofter.