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tonsures - 2 dictionary results

ton⋅sure

  [ton-sher] noun, verb, -sured, -sur⋅ing.
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–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, esp. 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.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L tōnsūra a shearing, equiv. to tōns(us) (ptp. of tondēre to shear, clip, shave) + -ūra -ure
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ton·sure   (tŏn'shər)   
n.  
  1. The act of shaving the head or part of the head, especially as a preliminary to becoming a priest or a member of a monastic order.
  2. The part of a monk's or priest's head that has been shaved.
tr.v.   ton·sured, ton·sur·ing, ton·sures
To shave the head of.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin tōnsūra, from Latin, a shearing, from tōnsus, past participle of tondēre, to shear; see tem- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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