Definition

1. Noun:
   • A style of facial hair: Specifically, hair that is grown down the sides of a man's face in front of the ears, often when the rest of the beard is shaved off.
   • A person: Ambrose Everett Burnside (1824–1881), a United States Army general during the American Civil War, known for his distinctive facial hair and for being defeated by Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Facial Hair):
  • The barber trimmed his burnside carefully.
  • He sports a impressive burnside, which is his signature look.
• Noun (Person):
  • General Burnside commanded the Army of the Potomac.
  • The military strategy of Burnside was heavily criticized after Fredericksburg.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used historically or descriptively. When referring to the facial hair style, it is sometimes used interchangeably with or as a precursor to the term "sideburns," which is derived from his name.

Variants and Related Words

• Sideburns (noun): Strips of facial hair grown on the sides of the face in front of the ears. This modern term is an inversion of "Burnside."
• Mutton chops (noun): A related but often fuller style of side-whiskers.

Synonyms

• For the facial hair: Side-whiskers, sideboards.
• For the person: General Burnside, Ambrose Burnside.

Notes on Meaning

• The primary modern understanding of "burnside" relates to the style of facial hair. The historical reference to the general is less common in everyday language but is standard in historical contexts. The two meanings are directly connected, as the hairstyle was named after the general who popularized it.

Noun

1. facial hair that has grown down the side of a man's face in front of the ears (especially when the rest of the beard is shaved off)
2. United States general in the American Civil War who was defeated by Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Fredericksburg (1824-1881)