pigtail
Americannoun
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pigtails
plural
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a braid of hair hanging down the back of the head.
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pigtails, two bunches of hair gathered and fastened on either side of the head, in braids or hanging freely.
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tobacco in a thin, twisted roll.
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Electricity.
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a short, flexible wire used in connecting a stationary terminal with a terminal having a limited range of motion.
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a short wire connected to an electric device, as a lead or ground.
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noun
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a bunch of hair or one of two bunches on either side of the face, worn loose or plaited
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a twisted roll of tobacco
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of pigtail
Explanation
A pigtail is a section of hair tied at the back or sides of a person's head so that it sticks out a little or hangs down. Although pigs only have one, pigtails often come in pairs. Some people think pigtails and braids are two different hairstyles (and often, a single pony tail to be a third), but others just call them all pigtails. The word, an American invention, originally described a twisted piece of chewing tobacco that was thought to resemble a pig's curly tail. The hairstyle was first called pigtails in the mid-1700s.
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:
A wiry longtime martial arts practitioner who sometimes wears his hair in long pigtail braids, the 53-year-old Nguyen plays the role of firearms sensei.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2024
Mitchell sat in the centre, wearing a pink floral silk shirt, with her hair in pigtail braids under a purple beret, and carrying a cane adorned with a small bear's head.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2023
Naomi Fraga, her hair in pigtail braids under a ball cap, drove like a slightly more cautious Indiana Jones guided by an ancient map.
From New York Times ● May 22, 2023
The pigtail cable must be connected to the battery to power the bike.
From The Verge ● Oct. 10, 2020
She grabbed the soggy pigtail from Ignatius’ paws and threw it over her shoulder onto the guitar, where it landed with a twang.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
But "when I'm with Hyodol, I never get hurt", she said, holding the cuddly doll with pigtails and a pink gingham dress, provided by her local municipality.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
Now he is raising a 4-year-old daughter with the help of Barnica’s younger brother; every weekend, they take her to see her grandmother, who knows how to braid her hair in pigtails.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2024
Class photos shared from over the years showed Shaylee in second grade, wearing pigtails, and years later, with highlights in her hair.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2024
By early morning Oksana is up, combing Anna's hair and putting it into pigtails.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2023
He gave one of her stubby pigtails a pull.
From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
