alopecia

noun

Etymology: Borrowed from Latin alōpecia, from the Ancient Greek ἀλωπεκία (alōpekía, “fox-mange”), from ἀλώπηξ (alṓpēx, “fox”) + -ία (-ía, a formative ending used in Ancient Greek, especially used in naming diseases).

1. Baldness.
2. A deficiency of the hair, which may be caused by a failure to grow or loss after growth.
3. A loss of hair (especially on the head) or loss of wool or feathers, whether natural or caused by disease.

   ““Jada, can’t wait for GI Jane 2,” Rock said in an apparent reference to her shaved hair, which is a result of the hair loss condition alopecia.”

   “At least 40% of women experience hair loss or alopecia over their lifetimes. This could be alopecia areata (patchy hair loss), traction alopecia (strained hair loss) or another form. The different ways that women’s hair loss has been depicted across art history demonstrates the many different ways it has been interpreted over the years. In 16th and 17th century Britain, for example, women’s alopecia was sometimes interpreted as retribution for sins, including adultery.”