CategoryArchaic Word / Clothing and Ritual Term
Modern Equivalentveils; head coverings; cloth coverings.
KJV Word TypeNoun
DefinitionCloth coverings or veils. In the KJV, “kerchiefs” appears in a prophetic rebuke against false prophetesses who used coverings in deceptive religious practices.
Key Verses"Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls!" (Ezekiel 13:18)
KJV Usage NoteThe word is tied to Ezekiel’s warning against deceptive religious practices, not merely ordinary clothing.
Common MisunderstandingIt does not refer to a modern handkerchief; in this passage it refers to head coverings or veils.
EtymologyFrom Old French couvrechief, meaning “cover head.”