ENGLISH
REFERENCE

mohawk

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈmoʊˌhɔk// mo·hawk Archaic

n. a hairstyle where the sides of the head are shaved and the hair in the middle stands up like a ridge. You often see this look in punk rock culture.

n. a hairstyle characterized by shaved sides and a central strip of upright hair. Often associated with punk subculture; the term derives from the Mohawk people of North America.


SIMPLE

He dyed his mohawk bright green.

CONTEXTUAL

The lead singer of the punk band wore a tall, spiked mohawk that stayed upright throughout the concert.

COMPLEX

While the mohawk is most famously linked to the 1970s punk movement, variations of the central crest hairstyle have appeared in diverse cultures and historical periods globally.

Origin

From Dutch Mohawk. An exonym, probably from Narragansett Mohowaúgsuck, Mauquàuog, meaning “they eat (animate things)”, “cannibals”. The phoneme /m/ is not present in the Mohawk language; the Mohawk autonym is Kanienʼkehá꞉kaʼ (Kanienkehaka, Kanyenkehaka).

Usage

Commonly used with the verb 'wear' or 'have'.

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