dreadlocks
/ˈdɹɛdlɒks/
Etymology
Borrowed from Jamaican Creole dreadlocks, from dread (“of or relating to a dread”, adjective) (from dread (“(usually black) male member of the Rastafarian movement who wears his hair in dreadlocks”, noun), from English dread (“reverential or respectful fear; awe”), referring to the awe inspired by God) + English locks (plural of lock (“length or tuft of hair”)). The English word is analyzable as dread (“Rastafarian”, attributive) + locks.
dreadlocks means A hairstyle worn by Rastafarians and others in which the hair is left to grow long, and twisted into matted strings. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.
Why this word is great
DREADLOCKS — [Noun] A hairstyle in which the hair is left to grow long and twisted into matted, rope-like strands. From Jamaican Creole *dreadlocks*, from *dread* (referring to a Rastafarian, from the awe or "dread" inspired by God) + English *locks* (plural of *lock*, meaning a length or tuft of hair). Unlike "braids," which are neat, temporary patterns of interwoven hair, or the modern "locs," a neutral term focusing purely on form, "dreadlocks" carries the weight of a deliberate spiritual defiance—a testament to patience and natural law. They are the slow geology of the body, formed by time and friction; the knotted roots of an ancient banyan tree; the fused strata of sedimentary rock—a quiet, stubborn assertion that some forms of beauty are not made, but grown.
noun
- A hairstyle worn by Rastafarians and others in which the hair is left to grow long, and twisted into matted strings.“The patient history may point to the use of tight hairstyles that put tension on the hair root or hair treatments that increase the vulnerability to traction-related damage. 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.”