tonsure

American  

[ton-sher] / ˈtɒn 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.

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verb (used with object)

tonsured, tonsuring

1. to confer the ecclesiastical tonsure upon.

2. to subject to tonsure.

tonsure British  

/ ˈtɒnʃə /

noun

1. 1. the shaving of the head or the crown of the head only

   2. the part of the head left bare by shaving

   3. the state of being shaven thus

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verb

1. (tr) to shave the head of

Other Word Forms

• tonsured adjective
• untonsured adjective

Etymology

Origin of tonsure

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin tōnsūra a shearing, equivalent to tōns ( us ) (past participle of tondēre to shear, clip, shave) + -ūra -ure

Explanation

If you are a monk that shaves all or some of your hair for religious reasons, that bald spot is called a tonsure. The act of creating that spot is also known as tonsure. In Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity, hair is often considered a vanity. Men entering a religious order choose a tonsure as a way of denouncing the vanity and worldly ways represented by hair. At one time, tonsure was required if you wanted to enter the clergy, though today it rarely is. The tonsure represents a commitment to a more austere and less proud lifestyle.

Example Sentences

Its detailed design includes a crowned Virgin Mary holding the Christ child and kneeling to her right is a monk looking up at her, identified by his tonsure.

From BBC • Nov. 19, 2023

There was his look: hoodies and tracksuits, a three-day beard, and a strawberry-blond tonsure like a medieval monk’s.

From New York Times • Apr. 13, 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.

From Washington Post • Jul. 6, 2020

Yankovic may have swapped out his robe for a bowtie and a tonsure for a top hat, but his Crazy Ex-Girlfriend visit is still ceremonial, a parting blessing from the master of the form.

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2019

For that time it was Lancelot’s fate and Guenever’s to take the tonsure and the veil, while Mordred must be slain.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White