Where does “tonsure” come from?

Tonsure derives from Middle English tonsure, from Old French tonsure, from Latin tonsura, nominalization of tondeo meaning to shear or cut, from Proto-Indo-European tend-, itself from Proto-Indo-European ten-.

tonsure (English): To shave the crown of the head as a sign of...

Definitions

  1. To shave the crown of the head as a sign of...

Ancestry of “tonsure”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtonsure—
2Old Frenchtonsuretonsure (hair)
3Latintonsūrahaircut
4Latintondeōto shave, shear, clip
5Proto-Indo-Europeantend-to stretch, to extend; to split, cut off
6Proto-Indo-Europeantemh₂-to stretch, string; to cut
Every word from Proto-Indo-European temh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European tend- →Every word from Latin tondeō →