tress
Americannoun
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Usually tresses. long locks or curls of hair.
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a plait or braid of hair.
noun
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(often plural) a lock of hair, esp a long lock of woman's hair
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a plait or braid of hair
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of tress
1250–1300; Middle English tresse < Middle French: plait or braid of hair < ?
Explanation
A tress is an old-fashioned word for a curl or braid, but it’s used more loosely now as a word for long hair. If someone admires your beautiful tresses, they love your long flowing hair. Congratulations, Rapunzel. Use the noun tress for a curl or ringlet, or as part of a head full of carefully curled tresses. Tresses has changed in meaning over the years and now refers to any hairstyle, but especially a woman’s long unbound hair. This word derives from the Old French tresse, which may stem from the Vulgar Latin trichia, "braid or rope," and the Greek root trikhia, "rope."
Vocabulary lists containing tress
myPerspectives 8.4
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 5
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Summer of the Mariposas
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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.
Whilst these wind speeds are fairly typical for an autumn storm like this, trees are still in full leaf, which may increase the chance of branches or small tress coming down.
From BBC • Sep. 14, 2025
After more than an hour of branch-beating, Crawford moves on to sifting moss pulled from the trunks of tress — another good place for little spiders.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 19, 2022
"Planting billions of seedlings is easy. Caring for those tress as they grow, confront droughts, insects, wildfires, and logging is much more challenging."
From Salon • Sep. 19, 2021
I don't necessarily think burning tress for energy is bad, depending on where they come from.
From New York Times • Apr. 20, 2016
Her long tress, artfully folded back and attached to the back of her head, was adorned with a garland of fresh jasmine flowers.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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.
