Link Centre Dictionary

tonsure

ton·sure

UK/ˈtɒn.ʃə(ɹ)/ US/ˈtɑn.ʃɚ/ uncommon
noun (2) verb (1)

noun

1.

the shaved crown of a monk''s or priest''s head

2.

shaving the crown of the head by priests or members of a monastic order

verb

1.

shave the head of a newly inducted monk

Origin

From Middle English tonsure, from Anglo-Norman and Old French tonsure, from Latin tonsūra (“a clipping, trimming”), from tondeō (“shear, clip, trim”).

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.