chiffon

Borrowed from French chiffon, from Middle French chiffe (“cloth, old rag”), from Old French chipe (“rag”), from Middle English chip, chippe (“chip, shard, fragment”), from Old English ċipp (“chip, splinter, shaving”); see chip.

• IPA^(key): /ʃɪˈfɑn/, /ˈʃɪfɑn/

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chiffon (plural chiffons)

1. A sheer silk or rayon fabric.

   Her dresses are made from these marvelous chiffons.

2. Any purely ornamental accessory on a woman's dress, such as a bunch of ribbon, lace, etc.

• chiffon cake

From chiffe +‎ -on.

Chiffe is from Middle French chiffe (“cloth, old rag”) from Old French chipe (“rag”), from Middle English chip, chippe (“chip, shard, fragment”) from Old English ċipp (“chip, splinter, shaving”), from Proto-Germanic *ċippian (“to chip, shave, splinter”). More at chip.

• IPA^(key): /ʃi.fɔ̃/

• audio

  (file)

chiffon m (plural chiffons)

1. rag
2. scrap (of paper)

• chiffonner

• “chiffon” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

chiffon m (uncountable)

1. chiffon (sheer silk or rayon fabric)