Forms: 5 cheveler, 7– chevelure. [a. F. chevelure, in OF. cheveleüre = Pr. cabelladura, It. capillatura:—L. capillātūra head of hair, f. capillāt-us haired, f. capillus a hair. In ME. naturalized as cheveler, but in mod. use, treated as a French loan-word, and pronounced accordingly.]
1. The hair of the head, a head of hair; † a wig.
1470. in Cunningham, Brit. Paint. (1829), I. 18. Item, longeth to the angels four chevelers.
c. 1488. Digby Myst., 139. (Stage direction) Ffyrst entreth Wysdam … vpon his hed a cheveler with browes.
1652. Urquhart, Jewel, Wks. (1834), 235. Majesty in his very chevelure.
1864. R. F. Burton, Dahome, 49. Conspicuous … by her chevelure which looked like a closely-fitting cap of Astrachan wool.
1884. Manchester Weekly Times, 31 May, 7/1. An abundant chevelure, drawn up from the neck.
2. transf. The luminous appearance surrounding the nucleus of comets; also the diffused light round certain nebulous stars. [So in French.]
1672. Phil. Trans., VII. 4044. When we beheld the Comet with Telescopes, we saw about his head a chevelure of an almost equal length, without being able clearly to distinguish his tail.
1791. Herschel, in Phil. Trans., LXXXI. 78. A star of about the 9th magnitude, surrounded by a milky nebulosity, or chevelure, of about 3 minutes in diameter.
1854. Tomlinson, Arago’s Astron., 135. If the moon is an old comet, what has she done with her chevelure, or hair?
