Bible Dictionaries
Tonsure

Webster's Dictionary

(1):

(n.) The first ceremony used for devoting a person to the service of God and the church; the first degree of the clericate, given by a bishop, abbot, or cardinal priest, consisting in cutting off the hair from a circular space at the back of the head, with prayers and benedictions; hence, entrance or admission into minor orders.

(2):

(n.) The shaven corona, or crown, which priests wear as a mark of their order and of their rank.

(3):

(n.) The act of clipping the hair, or of shaving the crown of the head; also, the state of being shorn.

Bibliography Information
Webster, Noah. Entry for 'Tonsure'. Noah Webster's American Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/​dictionaries/​eng/​web/​t/tonsure.html. 1828.