Barber

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈbɑː.bə/

Definitions

1. A skilled individual who specializes in cutting and styling hair for men while also offering facial grooming services such as shaving
2. This profession involves the art of hair cutting and styling for male clientele along with facial hair maintenance and grooming
3. An expert in hair cutting and styling who primarily serves male clients, providing additional services that include shaving and facial grooming

Etymology: The word's core is simply "beard." Medieval barbers were not only hair-cutters but also surgeons, bloodletters and tooth-pullers, and the trade's name came from the beards they worked on. The Latin "barba" passed into Old French as "barbe," and from that came "barbeor" for a man who shaved and trimmed beards. Anglo-Norman then turned it into "barbour," which entered Middle English as "barbour" before settling into the modern spelling. The English word is a plain agent formation: a trade name built from the word for the facial hair its practitioners handled. Medieval barbers' surgical role is the reason the trade's name stayed tied to them even as their work narrowed to hair and beards.

Synonyms: hairdresser, stylist, groomer, shaver, clipper