8 delightfully strange beard and mustache words

1. dasiberd

An insult of the 15th century variety, a dasiberd is a fool or simpleton. Another form is dasybead, says the Oxford English Dictionary, as formed by combining dazy, "in a dazed condition," and beard, either with the idea of a beard representing a man in general, or a scatter-brained man during a time when "most European men were clean-shaven."

2. frumbierding

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According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, a frumbierding is "an excellent Old English word meaning 'a youth.'" The frum part of the word means "first, beginning"; bierd means "beard"; and -ing acts like the diminutive suffix -ling, typically used to describe the small, young, or unsophisticated. Put that all together and you get a young, inexperienced dude with some peach fuzz.

3. marquisotte

To marquisotte, says the OED, means "to shave or trim (the beard) with exaggerated fastidiousness." The word is related to the French barbe faite à la marquizotte, a beard "cut after the Turkish fashion," and perhaps also the Spanish a la marquesota, a mid-16th century style of dress, and the Catalan marquesota, "denoting a ruff or starched collar."

4. out of print

Out of print commonly refers to books no longer in circulation, but it's also slang for a messy beard, according to the OED.

The 19th century term is opposed to in print, meaning "exactly in order." In print may have referred specifically to "the plaited or pleated ruff," but why isn't clear. It could be from the "exact regularity" of printing or the "pressing or crimping" of a ruff's pleats to make them "stand out in proper parallel order."

5. pogonotrophy

Pogonotrophy is the growing or cultivating of a beard or mustache. Pogon- is a Greek combining form that means "the beard," while tropho means "food, nourishment." Other pogon- words include pogonology, the study of beards; pogonophile, one who loves beards; and pogonophobia, the fear of beards.

Misopogon, or Beard-Hater (where miso- is the combining form for "hate"), is a satirical essay by Roman Emperor Julian, in which he satirized "himself and the philosopher's beard which he wore in a clean-shaven age."

6. trichotillomania

Trichotillomania is the compulsion to tear out the hair from one's head or face and — get ready for it — eat it.

The word is Greek in origin, with tricho- coming from trikhos, "hair"; -tillo- from tillesthai, "to pull out"; and -mania from well, mania, "madness; frenzy; enthusiasm."

What happens when you eat a lot of hair? You don't want to know.

7. weirdie

Although the Scots' weirdie now means the same thing as weirdo, when it came about in 1894, it referred to "any young man with long hair and a beard," according to the OED.

Starting in the 1890s, says the National Portrait Gallery, "an increasing emphasis on tidiness and tailoring was characteristic of men's fashions in Britain and America." Beards were still popular, "but were more commonly seen in trimmer, more manicured or sober styles." Moreover, "it became more typical for younger men to wear their hair short and to cultivate moustaches in bushy, drooping or pointed styles."

Other hirsute, somewhat derogatory terms are longhair, a hippie or one dedicated to the arts, and neckbeard, a "slovenly" nerd.

8. ziff

Ziff, Australian for beard. The OED says this slang term originated around 1919, but otherwise the origin is unknown. To be ziffed means to be bearded.