glabrous

glabr·ous
G2L1A1B3R1O1U1S1
UK/ˈɡleɪbɹəs/UK/ˈɡlæ-/

adjective

Bald, hairless; smooth.

UncommonScrabble 11

Meanings

adjectiveglabrous (comparative more glabrous, superlative most glabrous)

comparative more glabrous · superlative most glabrous

  1. Bald, hairless; smooth.

    Adriaan rose, pulling out his limbering glabrous cock, his eyes happy.

    1974, Guy Davenport, Tatlin!: Six Stories, New York, N.Y.: Scribner, →ISBN, page 190
    4 more examples

    [T]he Vernacula or French Elm, whoſe leaves are thicker, and more florid, glabrous and ſmooth, delighting in the lower and moiſter grounds, where they will ſometimes riſe to above an hundred foot in height; […]

    1670, John Evelyn, “. Chapter IV. Of the Elm.”, in Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-trees and the Propagation of Timber in His Majesties Dominions. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Jo[hn] Martyn, and Ja[mes] Allestry, printers to the Royal Society, →OCLC, page 28

    [Crotalaria obtecta] Stems tall, erect, branched: stipules not decurrent: leaves simple, usually glabrous on the upper side: […] legumes oblong, many-seeded, glabrous or softly pubescent.

    Preliminary Publication of the Flora of the Peninsula of Oriential India

    1834, Robert Wight, G[eorge] A[rnott] Walker-Arnott, “Order LVI.—Leguminosæ. Juss.”, in Prodromus Floræ Peninsulæ Indiæ Orientalis: Containing Abridged Descriptions of the Plants Found in the Peninsula of British India, Arranged According to the Natural System [Preliminary Publication of the Flora of the Peninsula of Oriential India], volume I, London: Parbury, Allen, & Co., →OCLC, paragraph 572, page 186

    'I am bound by precedent,' said the First Lord, turning a vast glabrous expressionless face from Harte to Sir Joseph.

    1973, Patrick O’Brian, chapter 1, in HMS Surprise, London: HarperCollinsPublishers, published 2002, →ISBN, page 2

    The glabrous old head cranks round on him, stiff and slow, until the clouded eyes draw level with his own.

    1981, T[homas] Coraghessan Boyle, “Mo O Mo Inta Allo”, in Water Music (The Penguin Contemporary American Fiction Series), New York, N.Y.; London: Penguin Books, published 1983, →ISBN, part 1 (The Niger), page 143

    Synonyms: calvous · Antonyms: nonglabrous, hairy, hirsute, nonglabrous

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveBald, hairless; smooth.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivehaving no hair or similar growth; smooth

Similar

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*gʰleh₂dʰ-“smooth; bright, shining”
  2. Latinglaber“smooth; bald, hairless”
  3. Englishglabrous

From Latin glaber (“smooth; bald, hairless”) + English -ous (suffix forming adjectives, denoting possession or presence of a quality in any degree, commonly in abundance). Glaber is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *gʰleh₂dʰ- (“smooth; bright, shining”), possibly from *ǵʰelh₂- (“to shine”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek λεῖος
  • λεῖος (leîos)bald, hairless — see also bald, hairless
Arabic أَمْلَس
  • أَمْلَس (ʔamlas)bald, hairless — see also bald, hairless
Bulgarian гладък, неокосмен
  • гладък (gladăk)bald, hairless — see also bald, hairless
  • неокосмен (neokosmen)bald, hairless — see also bald, hairless
French glabre, glabre
  • glabrebald, hairless — see also bald, hairless
  • glabrebotany: smooth — see also smooth
Hungarian borotvált, csupasz
  • borotváltbald, hairless — see also bald, hairless
  • csupaszbald, hairless — see also bald, hairless
  • szőrtelenbald, hairless — see also bald, hairless
Italian glabro
  • glabrobald, hairless — see also bald, hairless
Latin glaber
  • glaberbald, hairless — see also bald, hairless
Polish bezwłosy, łysy
  • bezwłosybald, hairless — see also bald, hairless
  • łysybald, hairless — see also bald, hairless
  • gładkibotany: smooth — see also smooth
Romanian glabru, spân
  • glabrubald, hairless — see also bald, hairless
  • spânbald, hairless — see also bald, hairless
Spanish glabro, glabrescente
  • glabrobald, hairless — see also bald, hairless
  • glabrescentebotany: smooth — see also smooth

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with glabrous

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

glabrous. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/glabrous

MLA

“glabrous.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/glabrous. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “glabrous,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/glabrous.

Source: glabrous on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.