Ponytail

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpoʊniˌteɪl/

Definitions

1. A style in which hair is pulled together and secured at the back of the head, mimicking a horse's tail while keeping strands organized and out of the face
2. This hair arrangement involves gathering and fastening long hair at the neck or crown, resulting in a tidy appearance reminiscent of equine appendages
3. A hairstyle formed by tying the hair back into a single bunch that extends from the rear of the head, often used for convenience or style

Etymology: The word is a plain compound: "pony" joined to "tail," and the picture it paints is literal. A hairstyle where the hair is gathered and tied at the back of the head, so the loose ends hang down like a horse's tail, takes its name from the animal the pony itself, a small horse. "Tail" is the older and more widely shared half, one of the oldest words in English for the hind end of an animal, which here is simply borrowed for the hair. The hairstyle is named after the horse's tail, not after the pony as a whole, and the name works because the gathered hair swings and hangs in the same way. The "pony" element has nothing to do with the verb "to pony up," which comes from a different source.

Synonyms: hair tie, updo