forelock

/ˌfɔrˈlɑk/

Other forms: forelocks

The part of a horse's mane that falls across the front of its face like bangs is called a forelock. It's also an old fashioned way to describe a person's bangs.

Forelock comes from the Old English forelocca, from fore, "before in position," and locc, "curl or lock of hair." It originally meant simply "a lock of hair above the forehead," and in the 1800s, men commonly greeted each other by "tugging the forelock." Today people are likely to assume you're talking about a horse if you use the word forelock.

Definitions of forelock

1. noun

   a part of a horse's mane that grows forward between the ears
   synonyms: foretop

   type of:

   hair

   a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
2. noun

   a lock of hair growing (or falling) over the forehead
   types:

   quiff

   a prominent forelock (especially one brushed upward from the forehead)

   type of:

   curl, lock, ringlet, whorl

   a strand or cluster of hair