goatee

Definition

A beard trimmed to grow only at the center of the chin.

Etymology

From goat + -ee (diminutive suffix), referring to the tuft of hair on the chin of many domestic goats.

Example Sentences

• "One person sports a goatee, the hair refusing to grow on the sides of his physiognomy; the chin of another is as smooth as a baby's cheek,—he contents himself with a modest moustache and a faint attempt at an imperial; while a few of the upper classes rejoice in all the varieties."
• "The terrorist, as he called himself, was old and bald, with a narrow, snow-white wisp of a goatee hanging limply from his chin."
• ""Yes, sir, behind you. He is a man of middle size, rather inclined to shortness. He is old, over sixty, with white hair, curved nose and a white, small beard of the variety that is called goatee.""