tonsure
Use Tonsure in a sentence
ʃər noun
1.
the act of cutting the hair or shaving the head.
2.
the shaving of the head or of some part of it as a religious practice or rite, especially in preparation for entering the priesthood or a monastic order.
3.
the part of a cleric's head, usually the crown, left bare by shaving the hair.
4.
the state of being shorn.
verb (used with object)
5.
to confer the ecclesiastical tonsure upon.
6.
to subject to tonsure.
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Tonsure
is one of our favorite verbs.
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| to bark; yelp. |
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Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin tōnsūra a shearing, equivalent to tōns(us) (past participle of tondēre to shear, clip, shave) + -ūra -ure
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin tōnsūra a shearing, equivalent to tōns(us) (past participle of tondēre to shear, clip, shave) + -ūra -ure
Related forms
un·ton·sured, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To tonsure
Collins
World English Dictionary
tonsure (ˈtɒnʃə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | in certain religions and monastic orders |
| a. the shaving of the head or the crown of the head only | |
| b. the part of the head left bare by shaving | |
| c. the state of being shaven thus | |
| —vb | |
| 2. | (tr) to shave the head of |
| [C14: from Latin tōnsūra a clipping, from tondēre to shave] | |
| 'tonsured | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tonsure
late 14c., "shaving of the head or part of it as a religious rite," from Anglo-Fr. tonsure (mid-14c.), from O.Fr. tonsure (14c.), from L. tonsura "a shearing, clipping," from tonsus, pp. of tondere "to shear, shave," from PIE *tend-, from base *tem- "to cut" (see tome). The
verb is attested from 1793.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
tonsure
in various religions, a ceremony of initiation in which hair is clipped from the head as part of the ritual marking one's entrance into a new stage of religious development or activity
Learn more about tonsure with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
She soon after took the religious veil, and he received the clerical tonsure.
Nearby Words
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