tonsure

tonsure Definition

ton·sure (tän′s̸hər)

noun

a clipping off or shaving off of part or all of the hair of the head, done esp. formerly as a signal of entrance into the clerical or monastic state
the head area so clipped or shaved

Etymology: ME < MFr < L tonsura < tonsus: see tonsorial

transitive verb -·sured, -·sur·ing

to clip or shave the head hair of for such a purpose

tonsure Usage Examples

Possessives

monk: Two or three stunted bushes were boxed into a small strip of grass that bounded it like a monk's tonsure.
pregnancy: The ' pregnancy ' tonsure of two girls shows that they are in their second phase.

Converse of object

receive: He had received tonsure but was only in his fifteenth year; he was instituted to the rectory in 1308 while still a minor.

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