Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: HAIR AND BEAUTY

Sense: 1-3
Date: 1300-1400
Origin: Perhaps from bob 'to hit, punch' (13-19 centuries), from the sound.
Sense: 4
Date: 1900-2000
Origin: BOB21

bob

1 verb
     
bob1 past tense and past participle bobbed, present participle bobbing
1

move on water

[intransitive]TTW to move up and down when floating on the surface of water:
The boat bobbed gently up and down on the water.
2

move somewhere

[intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to move quickly in a particular direction:
Mrs Foster bobbed about, gathering up her things.
3

bob your head

to move your head down quickly as a way of showing respect, greeting someone, or agreeing with them:
He spoke to the girl, who bobbed her head.
4

cut hair

[transitive]DCB to cut someone's, especially a woman's, hair in a bob:
her neatly bobbed hair
Definition of bob from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
the topic HAIR AND BEAUTY
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pomade

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