Barbering

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The act of cutting or styling hair, typically by a professional ; the process of removing hair by shaving, trimming, or grooming
2. Performing haircuts or hairstyling as a trade or service ; the practice of eliminating hair through precise shaving or trimming techniques
3. Engaging in hair cutting and hairstyling, often in a barber shop ; the removal of hair from the face or head using razors or clippers

Etymology: Barbering is a plain formation: the noun "barber" with the suffix "-ing" added. The barber itself came into English from Anglo-Norman "barbour", which in turn descends from Old French "barbe", meaning beard, traced back to Latin "barba". So the trade was named for the beard, the thing it most often worked on, and the job of shaving and trimming hair took its name from that root. The suffix has a longer ancestry than the word it sits on. "-ing" passed through Old English "-ung" and Middle English "-ynge" from Proto-Germanic forms, and it was used to build nouns of action and of practice. Attaching it to "barber" produced a name for the activity of barbering, which is what the trade term describes.

Synonyms: hairdressing, grooming, styling