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forelock

forelock

8.4
A small bunch of hair on a horse's head that falls forward between the ears
  • noun
  • /ˈfɔrˌlɑk/
translation icon : melenita
  • The groomer brushed the horse's mane, carefully separating the forelock that fell between its ears.

Examples

  • I parted my hair down the center, put all but the front into a ponytail, and told him to make that section into the pony's forelock.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • A horn grew beside one ear, balanced asymmetrically by a curly forelock.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • During the show, the judge noted the beauty of the mare's long forelock as it swayed with her movements.

  • As the trainer adjusted the bridle, he gently tucked the horse's forelock behind its ears.

Synonyms

foretop
vsforelock
  • Archaic
9.9

A lock of a horse's mane that grows forward between the ears and hangs over the forehead

grows forward between the ears without necessarily hanging over the forehead

Idioms

Act quickly to grab an opportunity before it is lost

To show respect by lowering your head and gently pulling the hair at your forehead

Surface Forms

forelock singular
forelocks plural

Morphology

forelock = fore + lock (transparent) = fore + lock

The meaning is directly derivable as 'a lock (tress) at the front' from the two component words.

Etymology

Forelock comes from the old parts fore- meaning 'front' and lock meaning 'a small bunch of hair'. So on a horse a forelock is the bunch of hair at the front of the mane that grows forward between the ears.