shaveling
Definition
- Noun (archaic, derogatory):
- A tonsured cleric: "shaveling" refers to a clergyman, especially a monk or friar, who has a shaved or tonsured head. The term is often used contemptuously or dismissively.
- A bald person: In a broader, historical sense, it can also denote any person with a shaved head.
Usage Examples
- (A contemptuous reference to a Catholic monk.)
- (An archaic, negative stereotype of a tonsured cleric.)
Advanced Usage
- "to call someone a shaveling": to insult a clergyman by emphasizing his shaved head, implying he is a mere ritualist or lacks genuine piety.
- He was so angry with the priest that he shouted, 'You shaveling!' (He used the term as an insult.)
Variants and Related Words
- Shave (v): to remove hair with a razor.
- He decided to shave his beard. (To cut off facial hair.)
- Shaven (adj): having had hair removed.
- His head was clean-shaven. (Completely bald.)
Synonyms
- Monk: a member of a religious community of men.
- Friar: a member of a mendicant religious order.
- Tonsured cleric: a clergyman with a shaved crown.
Phrasal Verbs
- (No common phrasal verbs associated with this word.)
Related Idioms
- (No common idioms directly associated with this word, but the term appears in historical or literary contexts as an insult.)