cornrow

American

[kawrn-roh] / ˈkɔrnˌroʊ /

noun

a type of braid, originating in Africa, in which a narrow strip of hair is plaited tightly against the scalp from front to back or from side to side.
Usually cornrows. a hairstyle consisting of such braids in close parallel rows.

verb (used with object)

to arrange (hair) in cornrows.

cornrow British

/ ˈkɔːnˌrəʊ /

noun

a Black, originally African, hair-style in which the hair is plaited in close parallel rows, resembling furrows in a ploughed field

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cornrow

An Americanism dating back to 1970–75; corn ¹ + row ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

cornrow

When Ms. Emezi met her, she was wearing a black leather miniskirt with a sparkled camisole tucked in, with her hair in a braided cornrow style with loosely curled ends.

From New York Times ● Nov. 4, 2017

Nationals slugger Bryce Harper acquired a new cornrow hairdo from the Marlins’ barber.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 6, 2017

Pharoah wore a red Yankees cap and a cornrow wig.

From The New Yorker ● Jan. 4, 2016

Raina, a bubbly little girl with neat cornrow braids, would be woken up by her mother around 6:30 and eat some breakfast.

From Slate ● Sep. 10, 2015

Now Layla sits on the step below, with her head resting on my right knee as I cornrow her hair.

From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023