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dreadlocked

dreadlocked

1 5.6
With long thick hair twisted into rope-like strands
  • adjective
  • /ˈdrɛdˌlɑkt/
translation icon : con rastas
  • The police are describing the suspect as male, dark, tall, and with dreadlocked hair.
  • dreadlocked man
  • dreadlocked woman
  • dreadlocked dude

Little do we know there's a Jamaican man dreadlocked, right?

Examples

  • According to him, the dreadlocked man refers to the rumor that Mbuyisa Makhubu is still alive and is living in Jamaica.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Jacobson looked down the table toward a young dreadlocked project manager.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The dreadlocked duo had an amicable split on Oct. 8, deciding that it was time for each to go his separate way.

    Blog text (12)
  • I run to Burt's office and find him conferring with a dreadlocked male student, but when he notes my agitation, he asks the student to step into the hall for a few minutes.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • A dreadlocked woman in a yellow vest was rummaging through a closet with metal doors under the stairs, then took out a shovel and looked at it with surprise; she seemed to have expected something else.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • At the table: a dreadlocked South African social entrepreneur, a freelance French journalist, Business Day, South Africa's financial broadsheet, pondering.

    Blog text (24)
  • Self-assured and witty, with a fine sense of comedic timing and perfectly pitched sarcasm, this dreadlocked woman in blue jeans, a sweater, and clogs speaks of things close to her heart, or just on her mind.

    Academic text (2010)
  • The police are describing the suspect as male, dark, tall, and with dreadlocked hair.

  • We saw a group of dreadlocked musicians performing in the park.

  • Ali, a dreadlocked artist, showcased his paintings at the local gallery.

Surface Forms

dreadlocked positive

Morphology

dreadlocked = dreadlock (semi-transparent) = dreadlock + ed

The adjective is formed by the regular suffix '-ed' meaning 'having [the noun]'; this is a standard and transparent derivation for learners.

Etymology

Dreadlocked comes from dread and locks, where locks means 'hair' and dread once meant 'fear' but in Jamaican and Rastafari use it can mean 'deep respect'. So dreadlocked describes hair that is 'locked' into long, twisted strands, which is why it means having hair styled as dreadlocks.