Baldness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state or condition of having little or no hair on the scalp
2. The condition marked by the absence or significant loss of hair on the head
3. The condition where the scalp has a sparse or completely absent hair covering

Etymology: "Baldness" is a plain formation: the adjective "bald" with the suffix "-ness", which turns an adjective into a noun for a state or condition. It arrived in English from Middle English "ballednesse," so the word is simply the condition of being bald, built from parts that were already in the language. The more interesting thread lies in "bald" itself, which the source does not trace further, so it is worth knowing that "bald" originally meant something closer to "white" or "shining" than "hairless." Use of "bald" for a hairless head came later, which is why "baldness" describes a condition that the older adjective did not originally name.

Synonyms: hair loss, alopecia, bald spot, thinning hair, scalping

Antonyms: hair, fullness