permanent wave
1
4.4
- noun
- /ˈpɜrmənənt weɪv/
:
permanente
- When Annette Fahr went to ballet lessons, I did, too; ditto for piano lessons and, most dreaded of all, Shirley Temple permanent waves.
- permanent waves in hair
Examples
-
For example, Hitler's fiancée prevailed upon him not to ban productions of tools needed to give women permanent waves.
Blog text (28) -
The other girls in town got permanent waves to look like Bette Davis.
Blog text (17) -
You ought to get a permanent wave.
-
I have a permanent wave, and my own account at Simpson's.
-
Josimov is accustomed to odors of peroxide, nail polish, and permanent wave solution.
Blog text (30) -
Mrs. Masner had a permanent wave put into her hair every few weeks by Shulamit, the chief hairdresser at Chez Yolande on Allenby Road.
Fiction book (1993) -
Effie's profession as a maid, her German name, and her home near the factory district mark her as ethnic working class, but her clothing represents a determined if unsuccessful attempt at high fashion: "She had blonde hair, but a cheap permanent wave had made her bobbed locks stand out around her head in a startling manner."
Academic text (2016) -
After getting a permanent wave, her hair had beautiful, shoulder-length curls that lasted for months.
-
She decided to try a permanent wave to achieve the bouncy curls she always admired in magazines.
-
The stylist recommended a permanent wave for a long-lasting hairstyle that would fit her busy lifestyle.
Synonyms
32
3.2
A hairstyle made by treating hair with chemicals to make curls or waves
1
4.6
A hair treatment that makes waves or curls last
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning "a long-lasting set of waves in the hair" is directly derivable from combining 'permanent' (lasting) with 'wave' (a hair wave/undulation). This is a literal, compositional compound (often shortened to "perm") and follows transparent word-formation patterns found cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely comprehend it.
Etymology
The noun permanent wave may come from old hair machines that made a real wave in the hair and made it permanent. Hairdressers wrapped hair on small rods and used heat or chemicals so the new shape 'lasted for months', which is why the phrase now means 'a long-lasting wavy or curly hairstyle'.