tonsure
1 of 2noun
ton·sure ˈtän(t)-shər 
1
: the Roman Catholic or Eastern rite of admission to the clerical state by the clipping or shaving of a portion of the head
2
: the shaven crown or patch worn by monks and other clerics
3
: a bald spot resembling a tonsure
tonsure
2 of 2verb
tonsured; tonsuring ˈtän(t)-sh(ə-)riŋ
transitive verb
: to shave the head of
especially : to confer the tonsure upon
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Washington Post, 6 Aug. 2021 Instead, its hair is black, like mine, and raggedly scuttles onto his forehead like the tonsure of a Tibetan yak left out in the rain. Washington Post, 9 July 2020
Noun
His Semitic features suggested intelligence, but his shambling gait and inattention to his tonsure and sartorial presence suggested a man under extraordinary stress. Washington Post, 6 Aug. 2021 Instead, its hair is black, like mine, and raggedly scuttles onto his forehead like the tonsure of a Tibetan yak left out in the rain. Washington Post, 9 July 2020 Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin tonsura, from Latin, act of shearing, from tonsus, past participle of tondēre to shear — more at tome
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1706, in the meaning defined above