chignon

Meaning

roll or twist of hair worn at the nape of the neck; a bun

Concepts

bun

chignon

roll

pigtails

ponytail

topknot

Synonyms

nœud

🪢

nuque

roulé

c.-à-d.

derrière du cou

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ʃi.ɲɔ̃/

Etymology

Spelled chaengnon around the 12th century with the meaning of nape; same Latin root as chaîne, i.e. catēna, perhaps via reconstructed Vulgar Latin *catēniōnem. The evolution of the meaning from “chain” to “nape” is unclear: a chain of bones (see Czech páteř for a similar evolution) or metonymical, where a chain would rest (see col, collier).
The modern sense dates back from the middle of the 18th century and might have been influenced by the sound proximity of tignon, from tignasse.
The expression chignon de pain is a local, dialectal pronunciation of quignon de pain (“loaf of bread”). Note that, although not taken into consideration by the TLFi (see reference below), quignon could also be the etymon of chignon, considering that the same “pastry metaphor” applies to French macaron, English bun.