Where does “dreadlocks” come from?
Dreadlocks comes from Jamaican Creole dreadlocks, ultimately from English dread and locks, referring to the fearsome appearance of the matted hair style.
dreadlocks (English): A hairstyle worn by Rastafarians and others in...
Definitions
- A hairstyle worn by Rastafarians and others in...
Ancestry of “dreadlocks”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamaican Creole | dreadlocks | — |
| 2 | Jamaican Creole | dread | — |
| 3 | English | dread | To fear greatly; To anticipate with fear; To be... |
| 4 | Middle English | dreden | To fear or dread |
| 5 | Old English | drǣdan | to fear, dread |
| 6 | Old English | ondrǣdan | to fear, dread |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | andarādan | to be afraid, fear; to be in awe |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | anda- | against, opposing; in return, back; facing,... |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | anda- | against, opposing; un-, de- |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énti | opposite; near; in front |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |