Blakey

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An informal Scottish word for a head that has lost its hair, used as a playful or mildly teasing term for a bald person
2. A colloquial Scots term referring to someone's bald scalp, often used affectionately or humorously in everyday speech
3. Used in Scottish informal speech to describe a bald head, sometimes as a nickname for a man who has lost most of his hair

Etymology: Blakey is a genericized trademark, which means a brand name that slipped into everyday use as a common noun. It belongs to Blakey's Segs, a British company whose product was a shoe protector, a metal plate or cap fixed to the sole and heel to stop them wearing down. The brand was named after John Blakey, who invented the device in 1880. The story is a plain one: a maker's surname became attached to his invention, and the product's name stuck to the thing itself. The word now refers to the protective fitting rather than to the company or its founder, so its meaning has narrowed from a brand to a generic object.