to tonsure
- verb
- /ˈtɒnʃər/
- Literature
Examples
-
He watched the seasons pass, watched the summits of the surrounding hills lose their snow and look like the tonsured pates of the Franciscans.
Fiction book (1992) -
Suddenly, he saw the disgusting grimaces of fat-bellied men with tonsured heads; he saw those bloated swine groveling before the witch in woman.
Fiction book (1993) -
It depicts a beautiful, bare-breasted woman bent backwards in the embrace of a tonsured strong man whose cock is as long and thick as his thigh.
Fiction book (1997) -
He is tonsured, but the ringlets of hair over his brow and the thick curls around his neck suggest that he is more youthful than Odo.
Academic text (1999) -
Before his induction, the monk had to tonsure his hair as part of the religious ceremony.
-
During the ritual, they tonsured the young acolyte, symbolizing his commitment to the monastic life.
-
The priest decided to tonsure his head to reflect his devotion and humility in front of the congregation.
How Bald
Surface Forms
Etymology
Tonsure as a verb comes from the Latin tondere 'to shave'. So to tonsure someone is to shave part or all of their head, especially as a religious rite, which is exactly how the word is used today.