From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishkerchiefker‧chief /ˈkɜːtʃɪf $ ˈkɜːr-/ noun [countable] DCCa square piece of cloth, worn on the head or around the neck
Examples from the Corpus
kerchief• Philippa had taken her black kerchief off and twisted it around her fingers as she sat at Lee's feet.• Ahead of them, as was fitting, were the menfolk, more soberly-clad save for the bright kerchiefs round their necks.• Jozia blew her red nose into her kerchief.• Ancient women sat in darkened eighteenth- and nineteenth-century doorways, heads covered in kerchiefs or round-brimmed hats like up-ended pudding basins.• It was all wrapped up in a knotted kerchief.• But since people sometimes tied money into the knot of a large kerchief, it also means a hoard of money.• I imagined a sorceress inside performing her rites behind the window, with a red kerchief.Origin kerchief (1200-1300) Old French cuevrechief, from covrir “to cover” + chief “head” 