Hairlocks

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Long strands or clumps of hair that are typically twisted or braided together
2. Sections of hair that are styled or categorized separately for aesthetic or cultural reasons
3. A term describing the method of arranging hair into distinctive shapes or forms, often reflecting personal identity

Etymology: "Hairlocks" is simply the plural of "hairlock," a compound formed from "hair" and "lock." Both parts are old English words: "hair" comes from Old English "hǣr," and "lock" traces back to Old English "loc," which originally meant a tuft or bunch of hair, long before it came to mean a fastening for a door. The older sense survives in the word's second half, which describes a small bundle of hair set apart from the rest. Put together, the compound pins down exactly what the image is: a lock of hair, with "hair" making explicit that the substance is hair itself. The plural form simply names several such clumps at once, which is why the word is most often seen describing hair that has been twisted or braided into ropes.

Synonyms: locks, tresses, strands, curls