tonsure

1 of 2

noun

ton·​sure ˈtän(t)-shər 

1

: the Roman Catholic or Eastern rite of admission to the clerical state by the clipping or shaving of a portion of the head

2

: the shaven crown or patch worn by monks and other clerics

3

: a bald spot resembling a tonsure

tonsure

2 of 2

verb

tonsured; tonsuring ˈtän(t)-sh(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

: to shave the head of

especially : to confer the tonsure upon

Examples of tonsure in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Bun’s charge is the friendly white guy with the belly and the tonsure. —Han Ong, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023

Atwood's attorney, Joseph Perkovich, said the department complied with the injunction, and allowed religious advisers to visit Atwood on Tuesday morning to perform a ceremony, known as a tonsure, involving cutting a lock of his hair and making Atwood a monk. —Chelsea Curtis, The Arizona Republic, 8 June 2022

His Semitic features suggested intelligence, but his shambling gait and inattention to his tonsure and sartorial presence suggested a man under extraordinary stress. —Washington Post, 6 Aug. 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. —Washington Post, 9 July 2020

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin tonsura, from Latin, act of shearing, from tonsus, past participle of tondēre to shear — more at tome

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1706, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

tonsure

noun

ton·​sure

ˈtän-chər

: a haircut with the top of the head shaved worn especially by monks

tonsured

-chərd

adjective

Etymology

Noun

Middle English tonsure "the act of shaving a part of the top of the head," derived from Latin tonsura "the act of shearing," from tonsus, past participle of tondēre "to shear"