pigtail

noun

pig·​tail ˈpig-ˌtāl 

plural pigtails

1

: tobacco in small twisted strands or rolls

2

: a lock of hair that has been gathered and banded or braided together at the back or side of the head

The hostess wore a peasant blouse and skirt and had her hair done up in a single thick pigtail …

—John Updike

—often used in the plural for a hairstyle in which two such locks or braids of hair are worn on either side of the head

a little girl in pigtails

… there's another hairstyle you should definitely try this year: Pigtails … I mean twin high ponytails that sprout from the top or sides of your head and kind of look like animal ears …

—Erica Smith

Examples of pigtail in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Fanning wore her hair with very 2000’s deep swooping side bangs and two low, tight-to-the-head medium-length pigtails. —Aamina Inayat Khan, StyleCaster, 11 Dec. 2024

In the clip, which played along to audio from The Kardashians of Kim Kardashian talking about her sister Kourtney Kardashian copying her, Lizzo posed and modeled two extra-long pigtails while wearing a white off-the-shoulder dress, sparkly silver eyeshadow and pink blush. —Escher Walcott, People.com, 23 Nov. 2024

Her face was still painted, but her jester’s cap was replaced by two massive, blonde pigtails. —Abraham Josephine Riesman, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2024

To go with her white Gucci slip dress, with crystal spaghetti straps and girly bow detail, Fanning wore her hair in a voluminous pigtail style that looks time-warped right from the 1960s. —Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pigtail

noun

pig·​tail -ˌtāl 

: a tight braid of hair

pigtailed

-ˌtāld

adjective