marteau

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marteau (plural marteaux)

1. A postiche curl.
   • 1886 April 1, “Fashionable Coiffures, and the Care of the Hair”, in Myra's threepenny (mid-monthly) journal (and childrens bazaar)., page 120:

     A wreath of wild roses, without foliage, crosses the top of the head in front and under the roll of the first marteau;

   • 1891, R. Barry Blackburn, Art, Society, and Accomplishments, page 162:

     An easy mode of dressing the hair for powder is to part it across the head from ear to ear, turning the front over a high cusion, making the back into a long, loose chignon, with a few marteaux or rolled curls behind the cushion. Sometimes the roll in front is replaced by a series of marteaux placed diagonally .

   • 2003, Penny Delamar, The Complete Make-up Artist, page 163:

     Swathes: Made from two marteaux, sewn end to end. They are used for encircling the head.

   • 2012, Patricia Baker, Wigs and Make-up for Theatre, TV and Film, page 211:

     Long hanging ringlets were popular and were made using switches, pin curls and marteaux (postiche hair pieces).

• martel (archaic)

Back-formation from Old French marteaus, plural of martel, from Late Latin martellus, from martulus, variant form of marculus, diminutive of Latin marcus, or from malleus.

• IPA^(key): /maʁ.to/

• Audio:

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marteau m (plural marteaux)

1. a hammer used for pounding
2. a machine tool that pounds
3. a hammer-shaped tool used to hit something, such as a gavel
4. a rapper; a door knocker
5. (music) a piano or dulcimer hammer
6. (anatomy) the malleus
7. (athletics) a throwing hammer
8. (technical) a hammer with bas relief marks used to create imprints on wood, leather etc.
9. (curling) the advantage of throwing the last stone
10. (clockmaking) the part of a clock that strikes the bell

marteau (plural marteaux)

1. (dated, informal) crazy; deranged

• “marteau”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• amateur