false hair

3.7

Pieces of real or fake strands worn on the head to hide thin spots and change style

noun
/fɔls hɛr/

: peluca

For the costume party, she decided to wear a stunning dress with matching false hair to enhance her look.

Examples

He bought some false hair to complete his disguise for the Halloween event.
The big woman tugs at her false hair, looking up, and following her eyes, I find her partner sitting on the high catwalk in a gap in the old railing.

Fiction book (2000)
Two blows to the head, covered up with false hair.

Fire on the Amazon (1993)
The actress sported an elegant updo, complemented by false hair for added volume and glamour.

Synonyms

wig

vsfalse hair

220 1.3

A fake hair covering for the whole head used to hide hair loss or for acting and fashion

is broader, used for such coverings or to add volume, not only full coverage

hairpiece

vsfalse hair

18 3.6

A piece of hair worn to hide baldness or change hairstyle

includes both human and artificial options and also adds volume as decoration

postiche

vsfalse hair

Archaic

9.9

A piece of fake hair worn to hide or change your look

is the general name for such coverings rather than a specific type

How Full

wig

220 1.3

false hair

3.7

hairweaving

Specialized

6.6

hairpiece

18 3.6

toupee

43 7.6

Surface Forms

false hair singular

false hairs plural

Morphology

false + hair

The meaning 'hair that is not real or is an imitation' is directly derivable from combining 'false' (imitation/not genuine) with 'hair' (strands on the head). This simple adjective + noun compositional pattern is common across languages and follows standard English formation, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

False hair comes from the simple image of wearing extra hair that is not real, like wigs or hairpieces, to hide bald spots or change your look. The words false and hair mean 'not real' and 'hair', so the term now means 'hair worn to cover the top of the head or add volume'.