07.03.24: describing hair [1]

The word for ‘hair’ (of the head) is capillus; it is most often found in the singular which is the form we will use here, although the plural form capillī also occurs (the Mediaeval text in the previous post used the plural); French ‘les cheveux’, German ‘die Haare’ and Russian ‘volosy’ also follow a plural pattern.

Below are some adjectives to describe hair (or the lack of it): colour, length, style

longus; prōmissus: long

curtus: short

crīspus: curly

undulātus: wavy

dīrēctus: straight

horridus: dishevelled; standing on end

ōrnātus: styled

tōnsus: clipped

albus: white

cānus: grey

flāvus: blond

fuscus: brown (Mediaeval Latin: brunneus)

niger: black

rūfus: red

barbātus: bearded

calvus: bald

From the late 1st century BCE or the early 1st century CE onwards the images posted are of the startling and life-like mummy portraits from Fayum at the time of Roman rule in Egypt. The portraits covered the faces of bodies that were mummified for burial.