fade
feyd
/feɪd/
A haircut style where the hair gradually tapers from very short or bald at the bottom to longer on top.
In modern barbering, a fade is a highly technical cut requiring clippers with different guard sizes to create a seamless, smoky gradient without visible lines.
The story behind the word. The haircut term 'fade' derives from the standard verb 'fade' (to lose color or intensity), which comes from Old French 'fader' and Latin 'fatuus'. In barbering, the hair literally appears to 'fade' away into the skin of the neck.
Word relationships
- taper: A taper gradually shortens the hair but usually leaves some length at the neck, whereas a fade cuts the hair down to the skin at the lowest point.
- bowl cut: A bowl cut has a uniform, blunt edge with no gradual blending or tapering.
Commonly confused with
- undercut: An undercut has a sharp, disconnected contrast between long hair on top and short hair on the sides, with no gradual blending like a fade.
Word family
- faded (adjective): Having been cut in a tapering style.
- fading (noun): The process or technique of blending hair lengths.
Collocations
- skin fade
- taper fade
- low fade
- high fade
Example sentences
- "He asked the barber for a high skin fade that blended perfectly into his pompadour." Describing a trip to a modern barbershop
- "A clean fade requires a steady hand and excellent control of the electric clippers." Discussing a barber's technical skill
Memory hook
Think of the hair slowly 'fading' out of existence as it moves down toward the neck. Hair that fades into the skin.
When not to use
Do not use when referring to a simple uniform trim or a haircut that has a blunt, hard line of separation.
Fun facts
- The fade haircut originated in the US military in the 1940s and 50s and became a massive cultural phenomenon in the 1980s hip-hop scene.
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