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frizz1

or friz

[friz]
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verb (used with or without object)
  1. to form into small, crisp curls or little tufts.
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noun
  1. the state of being frizzed.
  2. something frizzed; frizzed hair.
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Origin of frizz1

First recorded in 1650–60; back formation from frizzle1
Related formsfrizz·er, noun

frizz2

[friz]
verb (used with or without object)
  1. frizzle2.
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Related formsfrizz·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for frizz

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • "Don't 'ee get in a frizz, my dears, about me," he said with dignity.

    Explorers of the Dawn

    Mazo de la Roche

  • Mr. Champion can't get his boot off and he's in some frizz about it.

    Carnival

    Compton Mackenzie

  • It is the extreme of bad taste to bang or frizz the hair across the forehead, or to wear the hat somewhat on the back of the head.

  • Miss Mellins was a small woman with a glossy yellow face and a frizz of black hair bristling with imitation tortoise-shell pins.

    Bunner Sisters

    Edith Wharton

  • On her return Robinson made signals to her over the master's head, which he had begun to frizz.

British Dictionary definitions for frizz

frizz

verb
  1. (of the hair, nap, etc) to form or cause (the hair, etc) to form tight wiry curls or crisp tufts
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noun
  1. hair that has been frizzed
  2. the state of being frizzed
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Derived Formsfrizzer, noun

Word Origin

C19: from French friser to curl, shrivel up (see frisette): influenced by frizzle 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for frizz

v.

also friz, 1610s (implied in frizzed), probably from French friser "to curl, dress the hair" (16c.), perhaps from stem of frire "to fry, cook." Assimilated to native frizzle. Related: Frizzed; frizzing. As a noun from 1660s, "frizzed hair."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper