Tonsure is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the
hair on the
scalp, as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word
tonsura (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice in medieval
Catholicism, abandoned by papal order in 1972. Current usage more generally refers to cutting or shaving for monks, devotees, or mystics of any religion as a symbol of their renunciation of worldly fashion and esteem.
Tonsure also refers to the secular practice of shaving all or part of the scalp to show support or sympathy, or to designate mourning.