Meanings
tress1
plural tresses
- A braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet.
“Mercy! If I had a husband whose business it was to look at women's beautiful eyes, peachy cheeks, and luxurious tresses, I should go crazy! […]”
1914, Eleanor H. Porter, Miss Billy Married2 more examples
nor was the doom / of guilty deed, but of a hapless wight / to sudden madness stung, ere ripe to die, / therefore the Queen of Hades had not shorn / the fair tress from her forehead, nor assigned / that soul to Stygian dark.
1910, Theodore C. Williams, The Aeneid, translation of Aeneis by Virgil, Book IV Chapter 28Even without theatrical shoes on, Erlys was taller than Luca Zombini, and kept her fair hair in a Psyche knot, out of which the less governable tresses continued, with the day, to escape.
2006, Thomas Pynchon, “Iceland Spar”, in Against the Day, New York, N.Y.: Penguin Press, →ISBN, page 353 - A long lock of hair.
- broadlyA knot or festoon, as of flowers.
present singular third person tresses · participle present tressing · participle past tressed · past tressed
Tress2
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna hairdo formed by braiding or twisting the hair
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
tress · noun, verb
- Ancient Greekτριχία“rope”
- Vulgar Latin*trichia
- Old Frenchtresce
- Middle Englishtresse
- Englishtress
From Middle English tresse, from Old French tresce, of uncertain origin; possibly from Vulgar Latin *trichia, from Ancient Greek τριχία (trikhía, “rope”), from θρίξ (thríx, “hair”). Compare French tresse, Italian treccia.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Vulgar Latin
Full word history & related roots →Tress · proper noun
- GermanTress
- EnglishTress
Two main origins: * An English surname of unexplained origin. * A surname borrowed from German Tress.
More words from German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic خُصْلَة, ضَفِيرَة
- خُصْلَة (ḵuṣla)A braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
- ضَفِيرَة (ḍafīra)A braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
Bulgarian пли́тка, кичур
- пли́тка (plítka)A braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
- кичур (kičur)A braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
Czech lokny, kadeře
- loknyA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
- kadeřeA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
- kadeřA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
Finnish suortuva, palmikko
- suortuvaA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
- palmikkoA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
French tresse
- tresseA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
German Haarsträhne, Haarlocke
- HaarsträhneA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
- HaarlockeA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
- ZopfA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
Irish dlaoi, dual
- dlaoiA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
- dualA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
- cuachA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
- trilseánA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
Japanese 髪の房
- 髪の房 (kami no fusa)A braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
Māori urumawhatu
- urumawhatuA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
Norwegian Bokmål hårlokk, flette
- hårlokkA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
- fletteA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
- krølleA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
Persian گیسو, زلف
- گیسو (gisu)A braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
- زلف (zolf)A braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
Portuguese trança
- trançaA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
Russian коса́, прядь
- коса́ (kosá)A braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
- прядь (prjadʹ)A braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
- ло́кон (lókon)A braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
Scottish Gaelic cuach
- cuachA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
Spanish trenzada, trenza
- trenzadaA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
- trenzaA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
Swedish hårlock
- hårlockA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
Urdu زُلْف
- زُلْف (zulf)A braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
Welsh briger
- brigerA braid, knot, or curl, of hair; a ringlet
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with tress
Cite this entry
tress. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tress
“tress.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tress. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tress,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tress.
Source: tress on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.