neckerchief

[nek-er-chif, -cheef]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR neckerchief ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a cloth or scarf worn round the neck.

RELATED WORDS

kerchief, handkerchief, scarf, bandanna

Origin of neckerchief

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at neck, kerchief

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for neckerchief

Historical Examples of neckerchief

A stranger stepped out of the inn and laughed so heartily that he had to loose his neckerchief.
The Judge
Rebecca West
One suggested a clasp-knife at the throat, another a stick in his neckerchief, twisted to throttling-point.
Tales of Mean Streets
Arthur Morrison
He could not refuse to gratify the dear little creature, and he gave it her: the neckerchief she had already.
Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and Travels, Vol. I (of 2)
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Emmet took off his neckerchief himself, and assisted in adjusting the rope round his neck.
Main Currents in Nineteenth Century Literature - 4. Naturalism in England
Georg Brandes
She read the letter, and putting it into her neckerchief, desired him to follow her.
Peter Simple
Frederick Marryat

British Dictionary definitions for neckerchief

neckerchief

noun

a piece of ornamental cloth, often square, worn around the neck

Word Origin for neckerchief

C14: from neck + kerchief

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 neckerchief

"scarf for the neck," late 14c., from neck (n.) + kerchief, which is, etymologically "a covering for the head."