topknot

[ top-not ]

noun

1. a tuft of hair growing on the top tops of the head.
2. hair fashioned into a knob or ball on top tops of the head.
3. a tuft or crest of feathers on the head of a bird.
4. a knot or bow of ribbon worn on the top tops of the head.

topknot

/ ˈtɒpˌnɒt /

noun

1. a crest, tuft, decorative bow, chignon, etc, on the top of the head
2. any of several European flatfishes of the genus Zeugopterus and related genera, esp Z. punctatus, which has an oval dark brown body marked with darker blotches: family Bothidae (turbot, etc)

Word History and Origins

Origin of topknot¹

First recorded in 1680–90; top ¹ + knot ¹

Example Sentences

She had long brown hair tied up in a topknot and wore a matching jumpsuit that somehow looked stylish on her.

From Literature

Perhaps the most striking is the pied kingfisher, commonly called a helldiver, with its black and white plumage, shaggy topknot and slender beak.

From New York Times

Haring limned his oval head, the topknot above a receding hairline, a pair of prominent ears and eyes staring out from behind black-rimmed eyeglasses.

From Los Angeles Times

She arrived in the window in a PBS T-shirt with a stretched out neck, that brown hair piled into a messy topknot, talking fast and sharp and bright.

From New York Times

Part of it was his pop star look, including platform boots and a mane of long, wavy hair with a topknot.

From New York Times