topknot

top·knot
T1O1P3K5N1O1T1
Canada, UK/ˌtɒpˈnɒt/US/ˌtɑpˈnɑt/

noun

A decorative knot of hair on the crown of the head, sometimes having ribbons or feathers.

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Meanings

nountopknot (plural topknots)

plural topknots

  1. A decorative knot of hair on the crown of the head, sometimes having ribbons or feathers.

    A great, stout servant girl, with cheeks as red as her topknot.

    1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC
  2. A decorative headdress.
  3. A crest of feathers upon the head of a bird.
  4. AustraliainformalA crested pigeon, or, a topknot pigeon.
  5. AustraliaThe wool shorn from the crown of a sheep.

    Dan flung away the belly wool with a flash of the hand; ripped off the ‘top knot’, snipped a bit of wool from round the horns[.]

    1911, ‘Steel Rudd’, The Book of Dan, Brisbane: University of Queensland Press, published 1970, page 89
  6. Any fish in one of several genera:
    1. The New Zealand topknot, Notoclinus fenestratus
    2. The Norwegian topknot, Phrynorhombus norvegicus
    3. The brown topknot, Notoclinus compressus
    4. Several species in the genus Zeugopterus
    5. A small European flounder (Phrynorhombus regius, syn. Rhombus punctatus).

Origin

From top + knot.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans haarknoop
  • haarknoopa decorative knot of hair on the crown of the head
Ancient Greek κρωβύλος
  • κρωβύλος (krōbúlos)a decorative knot of hair on the crown of the head
Finnish nuttura
  • nutturaa decorative knot of hair on the crown of the head
German Haarknoten
  • Haarknotena decorative knot of hair on the crown of the head
Irish cocán gruaige, cnota mullaigh
  • cocán gruaigea decorative knot of hair on the crown of the head
  • cnota mullaigha decorative headdress
Māori tihi, tikitiki
  • tihia decorative knot of hair on the crown of the head
  • tikitikia decorative knot of hair on the crown of the head
  • puhia decorative knot of hair on the crown of the head
  • ngoia decorative knot of hair on the crown of the head
Polish czub
  • czuba decorative headdress
Russian чуб
  • чуб (čub)a decorative knot of hair on the crown of the head
Tagalog puyod, pusod
  • puyoda decorative knot of hair on the crown of the head
  • pusoda decorative knot of hair on the crown of the head
Turkish topuz
  • topuza decorative knot of hair on the crown of the head
Ukrainian чуб
  • чуб (čub)a decorative knot of hair on the crown of the head
Cite this entry
APA

topknot. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/topknot

MLA

“topknot.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/topknot. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “topknot,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/topknot.

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