neckerchief

N1E1C3K5E1R1C3H4I1E1F4
/ˈnɛkə(ɹ)tʃɪf//ˈnɛkə(ɹ)tʃiːf/

noun

A scarf that is worn looped or tied around the neck.

“The Boy Scout wore a red neckerchief, the ends clasped with a sliding knot ornament.”

UncommonScrabble 25

Meanings

nounneckerchief (plural neckerchiefs or neckerchieves)

plural neckerchiefs · plural neckerchieves · alternative neck kerchief · alternative neck-kerchief · alternative neckkerchief

  1. A scarf that is worn looped or tied around the neck.

    The Boy Scout wore a red neckerchief, the ends clasped with a sliding knot ornament.

    2 more examples

    Self-assured, peripatetic and unfailingly dapper — he favored dark double-breasted suits and the occasional neckerchief, and once made the cover of Men’s Vogue in Italy — Mr. Enwezor never doubted that an African had every right to take the lead at Western art institutions.

    2019 March 18, Jason Farago, “Okwui Enwezor, Curator Who Remapped Art World, Dies at 55”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

    The fella in question was still sitting at his table, sans everything above the neckerchief. There was blood everywhere, and brain matter, and bits of skull, and what looked like very expensive bone china.

    2023 June 25, HarryBlank, “Transposthumousism”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 18 Dec 2024

    Synonyms: handkerchief, necker

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA scarf that is worn looped or tied around the neck.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishnekkyrchefe
  2. Englishneckerchief

From Middle English nekkyrchefe, neckercheve, equivalent to neck + kerchief.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian шалче, кърпа за врата
  • шалче (šalče)type of scarf
  • кърпа за врата (kărpa za vrata)type of scarf
Catalan mocador
  • mocadortype of scarf
Chinese Mandarin 頸巾 /颈巾, 領巾 /领巾
  • 頸巾 /颈巾 (jǐngjīn)type of scarf
  • 領巾 /领巾 (lǐngjīn)type of scarf
Dutch halsdoek
  • halsdoektype of scarf
Esperanto koltuko
  • koltukotype of scarf
Finnish kaulahuivi, huivi
  • kaulahuivitype of scarf
  • huivitype of scarf
French foulard
  • foulardtype of scarf
German Halstuch, Seidenhalstuch
  • Halstuchtype of scarf
  • Seidenhalstuchtype of scarf
  • Nickituchtype of scarf
Hungarian nyaksál, nyakba való kendő
  • nyaksáltype of scarf
  • nyakba való kendőtype of scarf
Irish ciarsúr brád, brat brád
  • ciarsúr brádtype of scarf
  • brat brádtype of scarf
Italian cravatta, fazzoletto da collo
  • cravattatype of scarf
  • fazzoletto da collotype of scarf
  • foulardtype of scarf
  • fazzolettotype of scarf
Japanese ネッカチーフ
  • ネッカチーフ (nekkāchīfu)type of scarf
Polish apaszka
  • apaszkatype of scarf
Romanian fular
  • fulartype of scarf
Russian ше́йный плато́к, га́лстук
  • ше́йный плато́к (šéjnyj platók)type of scarf
  • га́лстук (gálstuk)type of scarf
  • косы́нка (kosýnka)type of scarf
Spanish pañuelo, fular
  • pañuelotype of scarf
  • fulartype of scarf
Swedish snusnäsduk, sjal
  • snusnäsduktype of scarf
  • sjaltype of scarf
  • halsduktype of scarf
Tamil கழுத்துக்குட்டை
  • கழுத்துக்குட்டை (kaḻuttukkuṭṭai)type of scarf
Turkish fular
  • fulartype of scarf
Ukrainian коси́нка
  • коси́нка (kosýnka)type of scarf
Cite this entry
APA

neckerchief. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/neckerchief

MLA

“neckerchief.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/neckerchief. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “neckerchief,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/neckerchief.

Source: neckerchief on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.