Barbers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person whose occupation involves cutting hair and providing grooming services for men
2. Professionals who specialize in cutting and styling hair, often including shaving and beard trimming for male clients
3. Establishments where hair cutting, shaving, and grooming services are offered primarily to men and boys

Etymology: "Barbers" is simply the plural of "barber," a word that began as a description of a job: someone who worked on beards. The Latin "barba" meant "beard," and Old French built "barbe" from it, then formed "barbeor" to name the person who tended beards. That shape passed into Anglo-Norman as "barbour" and then into Middle English as "barbour," before settling into the modern spelling. The establishments named by this plural grew out of that original job. A man who worked on beards was also expected to cut hair and shave, so the trade and its premises took on the broader role of grooming, and the plural form now names the shops themselves.

Synonyms: hairdressers, stylists, groomers, shavers, trimmers