cornrow

English

Etymology

Compound of corn +‎ row, reflecting the figurative evocation of rows of corn in a cornfield.

Noun

cornrow (plural cornrows)

1. (chiefly in the plural) One of a set of rows of tightly braided hair close to the scalp, forming a hairstyle, of African origin.

   Coordinate terms: dreadlock, dread (not to be confused)

   • 2021, Becky S. Li, Howard I. Maibach, Ethnic Skin and Hair and Other Cultural Considerations, page 154:

     The physician should evaluate for a history of tight ponytails, buns, chignons, braids, twists, weaves, cornrows, dreadlocks, sisterlocks, and hair wefts in addition to the usage of religious hair coverings.

   • 2022 September 29, Eduardo Medina, McKenna Oxenden, “Coolio, ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ Rapper, Dies at 59”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     Coolio, whose spindly and sprouting cornrows defined his look, went on to sell over 17 million records throughout his career.

Derived terms

• row

 

Translations

braided hair close to the scalp

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 玉米壟／玉米垄 (yùmǐlǒng)

• Czech: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: cornrow
• French: tresse africaine (fr)
• German: Cornrow, Flechtreihe f
• Hungarian: fejfonás, parkettafonás
• Italian: treccine aderenti
• Japanese: コーンロウ (kōnrou)
• Norwegian: afrofletter, rastafletter
• Portuguese: trancinha de raiz f
• Russian: францу́зская коси́чка f (francúzskaja kosíčka), туга́я коси́чка f (tugája kosíčka)
• Spanish: trenza africana f
• Swedish: rastaflätor
• Yoruba: àdìmọ́lẹ̀, irun dídì

Verb

cornrow (third-person singular simple present cornrows, present participle cornrowing, simple past and past participle cornrowed)

1. To braid the hair in this fashion.

   Coordinate terms: dreadlock, dread (not to be confused)

   • 2005, Helen Oyeyemi, The Icarus Girl, Bloomsbury, page 50:

     He [...] passed his hand over her hair, which was now neatly cornrowed.