Widow's peak

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A widow's peak (widow's brow) is a descending V-shaped point in the middle of the hairline (above the forehead). The trait is inherited genetically and is dominant. A dominant trait is the observed trait.^[1] The term comes from English folklore, where it was believed that this hair formation was a sign of a woman who would outlive her husband.[1] Widow's peak is a trait that is associated with baldness. Persons who possess the trait develop baldness before others without the trait.

The peak refers to the beak or bill of a headdress, particularly a widow's hood, making people think a woman was being given a mourning hood for her husband's forthcoming passing.[2]

The term can also be linked to novels written in the Roman era of Bath, when women were discussing how bitter women and widows had odd hairlines.

[edit] See also:

• List of Mendelian traits in humans
• Cupid's bow (a distinctive feature of the upper lip in some humans).

[edit] References