towhead

[ toh-hed ]

/ ˈtoʊˌhɛd /

noun

a head of very light blond, almost white hair.

a person with such hair.

a sand bar in a river, especially a sand bar with a stand of cottonwood trees.

Nearby words

Origin of towhead

An Americanism dating back to 1820–30; tow² + head

Related formstow-head·ed, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for towhead

Turn the page, and there, in fresh ginghams, would be mom, baking pies with one hand while patting her towhead with the other.
Doug Kenney: The Odd Comic Genius Behind ‘Animal House’ and National Lampoon|Robert Sam Anson|March 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As we dropped below the Towhead, the Boy, for once silent, wistfully gazed astern.
Afloat on the Ohio|Reuben Gold Thwaites
"Peterson didn't say nothin' about th' snag or th' towhead," he growled.
Bring Me His Ears|Clarence E. Mulford
It warn't no towhead that you could float by in ten minutes.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Complete|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

Pleased and surprised to have escaped, the towhead withdrew.
Local Color|Irvin S. Cobb
As soon as I got started I took out after the raft, hot and heavy, right down the towhead.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Complete|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

British Dictionary definitions for towhead

towhead

/ (ˈtəʊˌhɛd) /

noun often derogatory

a person with blond or yellowish hair

a head of such hair

Word Origin for towhead

from tow ² (flax)

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

Word Origin and History for towhead

towhead

also tow-head, in reference to tousled blond hair, 1830, from tow (n.) + head (n.). Related: Towheaded.