Word of the Day

: June 21, 2019

tonsorial

play
adjective tahn-SOR-ee-ul

What It Means

: of or relating to a barber or the work of a barber

tonsorial in Context

"Once again Ryan's Barber Shop and Shaving Parlor … provided the tonsorial team the chairs and the needed supplies for the men to sit down and get their faces cleaned up or hair trimmed." — Steve Moran, The Asbury Park (New Jersey) Press, 6 Dec. 2018

"I think we are still a long way off from having tonsorial robots, so whatever the trends and styles that come about ... as long as we are all still growing hair out of our heads, there will be patrons attending the barbershop." — Adam Castleforte, quoted in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 24 Sept. 2018


Did You Know?

Tonsorial is a fancy word that describes the work of those who give shaves and haircuts. (It can apply more broadly to hairdressers as well.) It derives from the Latin verb tondēre, meaning "to shear, clip, or crop." (Another descendant, tonsor, is an archaic word for a barber.) You might be more familiar with the related noun tonsure, which refers to the shaven crown or patch worn by monks and other clerics, or the religious rite of clipping the hair of one being admitted as a cleric. The verb tonsure means "to shave the head of" or "to confer the tonsure upon."



Test Your Vocabulary

Fill in the blanks to complete the name for a person who specializes in hair and scalp care: tr _ c _ _ lo _ _ st.

VIEW THE ANSWER

Podcast


More Words of the Day

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!