Noun: handkerchief
| Singular | handkerchief |
| Plural | handkerchiefs; handkerchieves |
Sample Sentences
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He sneezed into his handkerchief during the meeting.
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Mr. Banks’ panama hat was in one hand, while the other drew a handkerchief across his perspiring brow. [1913, Robert Barr, chapter 5, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad:]
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Harriet, who was as a rule good at handkerchiefs, discovered to her annoyance that on this particular morning she had provided herself only with an elegant square of linen, suitable for receiving such rare and joyful drops as might be expected on one’s honeymoon. Peter came to the rescue with what might have been a young flag of truce. [1937, Dorothy L. Sayers, Busman's Honeymoon:]
Nouns inflected like handkerchief
pyramid roof,
neckkerchief,
neck kerchief,
waterleaf,
yellow dwarf,
hipped roof,
silverleaf,
cloverleaf,
baby beef,
nonself,
headkerchief,
longleaf,
peaked roof,
neckerchief,
semidwarf,
newhalf,
non-self,
handkerchief,
pockethandkerchief,
autumn leaf, etc. (List truncated at 20 nouns)
Etymology
From hand + kerchief.