wimple

American  

[wim-puhl] / ˈwɪm pəl /

noun

1. a woman's headcloth drawn in folds about the chin, formerly worn out of doors, and still in use by some nuns.

2. Chiefly Scot.

   1. a fold or wrinkle, as in cloth.

   2. a curve, bend, or turn, as in a road or river.

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verb (used with object)

wimpled, wimpling

1. to cover or muffle with or as if with a wimple.

2. to cause to ripple or undulate, as water.

3. Archaic. to veil or enwrap.

verb (used without object)

wimpled, wimpling

1. to ripple, as water.

2. Archaic. to lie in folds, as a veil.

3. Chiefly Scot. to follow a curving course, as a road or river.

wimple British  

/ ˈwɪmpəl /

noun

1. a piece of cloth draped around the head to frame the face, worn by women in the Middle Ages and still a part of the habit of some nuns

2. a curve or bend, as in a river

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verb

1. rare to ripple or cause to ripple or undulate

2. archaic (tr) to cover with or put a wimple on

3. archaic (esp of a veil) to lie or cause to lie in folds or pleats

Etymology

Origin of wimple

before 1100; (noun) Middle English wimple, wimpel, Old English wimpel; cognate with Dutch, Low German wimpel, Old Norse vimpill; (v.) Middle English: to wrap in a wimple, derivative of the noun

Explanation

A wimple is long piece of cloth that was worn around the head and around the neck, first by medieval women and later by nuns. Today it's more common to see a wimple in a costume shop. In "The Canterbury Tales," Chaucer describes both the Prioress and the Wife of Bath as both wearing wimples. It was considered proper during early medieval times for a married woman to cover her hair, and the use of wimples grew out of this custom. Married women no longer wore wimples after the fifteenth century, but they became an important part of a Catholic nun's traditional clothing.

Example Sentences

“Mr. Bu-bu-bu-bu-Biden,” the nun taunted, until Biden’s mother went to the school and told the nun that if she ever spoke to Joey that way again she would rip her wimple right off her head.

From The New Yorker • May 13, 2019

What’s most striking is the juxtaposition of the monochrome nun – she wore the traditional habit complete with wimple and veil – and the brilliant colours which burst from her work.

From The Guardian • Apr. 22, 2018

The tension Leo can generate simply by entering a room is extraordinary; the folds in her wimple look like extra neck tendons.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2017

Six hours later — clad in a purple velvet suit, a massive belt buckle and a shirt collar as big as a nurse’s wimple — he was ushered into the Oval Office.

From Washington Post • Sep. 13, 2015

An important-looking woman, with a sharp nose and a sharp glance and a wimple starched into sharp pleats.

From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman