tonsure

[ ton-sher ]

/ ˈtɒn ʃər /

noun

the act of cutting the hair or shaving the head.

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.

the part of a cleric's head, usually the crown, left bare by shaving the hair.

the state of being shorn.

verb (used with object), ton·sured, ton·sur·ing.

to confer the ecclesiastical tonsure upon.

to subject to tonsure.

Nearby words

tonsillo-, tonsillolith, tonsillotomy, tonsils, tonsorial, tonsure, tontine, tonus, tony, too, too bad

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

Related forms

un·ton·sured, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tonsure

Precisely the same regulations—for the tonsure and vestis talaris—were made for the scholar at the university of Paris.
Cambridge|Mildred Anna Rosalie Tuker
There was hardly a tonsure in Italy which covered more than thoughts and hopes of lust and avarice.
Machiavelli, Volume I|Niccol Machiavelli
An elaborate description of the tonsure rites has been published by Gerini.
Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 3 (of 3)|Charles Eliot
Zucchetta, tsuk-ket′ta, n. the skull-cap of an ecclesiastic, covering the tonsure: a form of helmet worn in the 16th century.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various

They slept thus, and afterwards awoke in the same form, with the difference of the tonsure.
The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick|Various

British Dictionary definitions for tonsure

tonsure

/ (ˈtɒnʃə) /

noun

(in certain religions and monastic orders)

the shaving of the head or the crown of the head only
the part of the head left bare by shaving
the state of being shaven thus

verb

(tr) to shave the head of

Derived Forms

tonsured, adjective

Word Origin for tonsure

C14: from Latin tōnsūra a clipping, from tondēre to shave

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