Webster's English Dictionary

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tonsure

1. ton.sure \'ta:n-ch*r\ n [ME, fr. ML tonsura, fr. L, act of shearing, fr. 
   tonsus, pp. of ]tonde-re to shear - more at TOME 1: the Roman Catholic or 
   Eastern rite of admission to the clerical state by  the clipping or shaving 
   of the head 2: the shaven crown or patch worn by monks and other clerics  
   3: a bald spot resembling a tonsure 
2. tonsure \'ta:nch-(*-)rin\ vt or ton.sur.ing : to shave the head of; esp 
   : to confer the tonsure upon