tonsure.

1. The ritual cutting or shaving of hair, or the resulting shaved area, as a sign of religious status or devotion.

2. To cut or shave someone’s hair in a ritual marking religious status or devotion.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• monastic tonsure
• receive the tonsure

On the page

A circle of pale scalp marked the monk’s tonsure.

The novice received the tonsure before joining the order.

Usage notes

Primary category: gothic. Forms: Singular tonsure; plural tonsures. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: tonsures.