tonsor
tonsor, a shearer, clipper, shaver, hair-cutter, barber
- A shearer, clipper, shaver of the hair, beard, nails, etc., a hair-cutter, barber, Varr. R. R. 2, 11, 10; Cic. Tusc. 5, 20, 58; Plin. 7, 59, 59, § 211; Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 92; 1, 1, 94; 1, 7, 50; id. A. P. 301; Mart. 6, 57, 3; 11, 84, 2; Suet. Aug. 79; Inscr. Orell. 2883; a shearer of sheep: ovium, Vulg. Gen. 38, 12; cf. Becker, Gallus, 3, p. 136 (2d edit.).—Of a nail-cutter: tonsor ungues dempserat, Plaut. Aul. 2, 4, 33 (312). — Prov.: omnibus et lippis notum et tonsoribus esse, i. e. to be known to every body, to all the world, Hor. S. 1, 7, 3.—
- II A clipper, lopper, pruner, of plants: ramorum luxuriantium, Arn. 6, p. 197.
forpices que sunt ~orum
hic ~or, A.cuttere
patet ‥ hoc et lippis et ~oribus [cf. ]Hor. Sat. I 7. 3
palatio expulit eunuchos, ~ores, et cocos
admissus est ~or, abrasi sunt crines(
~or Mide
principes ‥ quorum mores ‥ lupi [? l. lippi ] indicent et ~ores
carnes pecorum quae occidi ~ibus meis [] I Reg. xxv 11
si in ~oris officium convertas ministerium pastorale
debet oves et agnos ‥ lavare et tondere cum uno homine ‥ et quilibet ~or habebit panem(
cum quadam filia cujusdam ~oris panni
Willelmo ~ori pro tonsura pannorum ‥ xxv s.
officium ~oris omnium pannorum lanarum [sic ] pro nobis ‥ emptorum
moneta ‥ propter sui materiam desiderabilem ‥ circumcisione cepit deteriorari ‥ per illos falsarios monetarum quos ‘~ores’ appellamus
falsarii bulle et ~ores monete
rex omnes Judeos ~ores monete capi fecit
rex H. renovans totam monetam auream Anglie que per ~ores et lotores ‥ erat pejorata
- tondeo, a shearer, clipper, shaver, hair-cutter, barber: tonsori collum committere: inaequalis, H.
(κουρεύς). A barber. The Greek and Roman barbers cut and dressed the hair and trimmed the beards of their customers, and also pared the nails and pulled out hairs with tweezers (volsellae). Persons of means were shaved and otherwise attended by valets of their own from among their slaves, but the common people frequented the barber-shop (κουρεῖον, tonstrina), which was with them a favourite lounging-place and famous for the gossip retailed there; for the ancient barbers were as fond of talk as those of modern times (Plaut. Epid. ii. 2, 16; Asin. ii. 2, 76; Polyb. iii. 20, 5; Hor. Sat. i. 7, 2). Female barbers (κουρεύτριαι, tonstrices) seem not to have been rare (Mart. ii. 17).
The person who was to be operated on by the barber had a rough cloth (ὠμόλινον, involucre) laid on his shoulders, as now, to keep the hairs off his dress, etc. The second part of the business was shaving (radere, rasitare, ξυρεῖν). This was done with a ξυρόν, or novacula, a razor, which was kept in a razor-case (θήκη, ξυροθήκη, ξυροδόκης). Some, who would not submit to the operation of the razor, used instead some powerful depilatory ointments or plasters, as psilothron, acida Creta, Venetum lutum, dropax, etc. Stray hairs which escaped the razor were pulled out with small pincers or tweezers (volsellae, τριχολάβιον). The third part of the barber's work was, as stated above, to pare the nails of the hands, an operation which the Greeks expressed by the words ὀνυχίζειν and ἀπονυχίζειν. The instruments used for this purpose were called ὀνυχιστήρια, sc. μαχαίρια. See barba; coma.