1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, Volume 6… (1911)
“ COIF (from Fr. coiffe, Ital. cuffia, a cap) , a close-fitting covering for the head. Originally it was the name given to a head-covering worn in the middle ages, tied like a night-cap under the chin, and worn out of doors by both sexes; this was later worn by men as a kind of night-cap or skull-cap. ”
