cornrow

[ kawrn-roh ]

noun

1. a type of braid, originating in Africa, in which a narrow strip of hair is plaited tightly against the scalp from front to back or from side to side.
2. Usually cornrows. a hairstyle consisting of such braids in close parallel rows.

verb (used with object)

1. to arrange (hair) in cornrows.

cornrow

/ ˈkɔːnˌrəʊ /

noun

1. a Black, originally African, hair-style in which the hair is plaited in close parallel rows, resembling furrows in a ploughed field

Word History and Origins

Origin of cornrow¹

An Americanism dating back to 1970–75; corn ¹ + row ¹

Example Sentences

What started as a hobby, creating the simplest of a haunted cornrow maze with a handful of hidden humans, has become a full-blown addiction for Jim Schopf, co-owner of Field of Screams in Mountville, Pennsylvania.

From Washington Times

Throughout the movie, the young actresses playing the Williams sisters display a variety of cornrow and braided looks, common styles for African American girls.

From New York Times

Hayden’s taxidermied heads of North American buffalo and mountain goats, given a Black identity with the addition of cornrow extensions, won him a residency at Lower Manhattan Community Council in 2011 and set him on a course toward Columbia while supporting himself as an architect.

From New York Times

Several of the girls in her class have cornrow braids, complete with beads and intricate braiding and barrettes.

From Slate

Baxter Beach, the fictional Barbados setting of Cherie Jones’ first novel, is the kind of place an American might go to soak up sun and margaritas, maybe get a souvenir cornrow in their hair.

From Los Angeles Times