bouffant

The word 'bouffant' is a direct borrowing from French, where it is the present participle of the verb 'bouffer', meaning 'to puff out' or 'to swell'. The verb 'bouffer' itself is believed to be of onomatopoeic origin, imitating the sound or action of puffing up. In English, it was adopted in the mid-18th century, initially describing puffed-out fabrics and later, in the 20th century, becoming specifically associated with voluminous, rounded hairstyles. The suffix '-ant' functions to create an adjective describing something that has the quality of puffing or swelling.

Structure: bouff (to puff) + ant (adjective suffix) bouff (from French 'bouffer', meaning 'to puff or swell', of imitative origin) + ant (a suffix forming adjectives, from Latin '-ant-', '-ans', present participle suffix)