Headband

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈhɛdˌbænd/

Definitions

1. An article of clothing fashioned from various materials that encircles the head, typically used to secure hair and act as a stylistic accessory
2. A narrow band designed to fit snugly around the head, primarily serving to hold hair in place while also enhancing personal style
3. A strip of fabric or material worn around the forehead to keep hair back or absorb perspiration

Etymology: The word is about as transparent as compounds get: "head" plus "band," a strip of material fastened around the top of the skull. What is less obvious is how old the pattern is. Its Old English form, "hēafodbænd" or "hēafodbend," was already in use before the Norman Conquest, and the same compound turns up in Old High German as "houbitbant" and in modern Dutch as "hoofdband," which suggests that speakers of the early Germanic languages independently reached for the same two building blocks. Middle English later reshaped it into "hedband," with the vowel and spelling wearing down toward the modern pronunciation. The "head" part also kept its ancient sense of the top of the body, the same meaning it had in Old English, while "band" carried its older idea of something that binds or ties.

Synonyms: band, strap, ribbon, tie