Fauxhawk

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A hairstyle resembling a mohawk but characterized by a more subtle spike or tuft rather than a full strip of shaved sides
2. A trendy hair design that mimics the appearance of a mohawk yet incorporates longer hair on the sides for a less drastic look
3. A modified version of a mohawk hairstyle featuring short sides and a longer, styled top, offering a fashionable alternative

Etymology: "Fauxhawk" is a blend of "faux," the French word for "false" (from Latin "falsus"), and "Mohawk," the name of the Indigenous Mohawk people and the haircut that took its name from the style. The result is a hairstyle that imitates the Mohawk's bold central strip of hair without committing to shaved sides, keeping the spiky crest and dropping the dramatic contrast. The joke built into the word is the point. "Faux" tells you the style is a counterfeit, a softened version of the original, so the blend works as a compact description: a Mohawk made fake, or at least toned down. Blends like this, which fuse two words into one and keep part of each, are a common way English coins names for new trends.

Synonyms: hairstyle, haircut