box braid

[ boks breyd ]

noun

1. a triple-stranded braid using the hair from a sectioned-off square on the scalp.
2. box braids, a hairstyle originating among Black people, in which the hair is parted into small squares or other shapes over the scalp and the hair from each section is woven into a braid.

Word History and Origins

Origin of box braid¹

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

Three pieces from her “Box Braid Chandelier” series are suspended from the ceiling in the annex’s entryway — steel structures wrapped with multicolored synthetic hair and adorned with plastic beads and handmade clay barrettes bearing Korean words.

From Los Angeles Times

I started wearing box braids again the past two years and every summer, I’m like, “It’s box braid season.”

From New York Times

“My Afrocentric Google is drawn as a box braid, with my personal characteristics surrounding it. I based this picture off my lifestyle and what has made me into what I am today,” the Eastern Senior High School student explained in a brief description.

From Time