soul patch

English

A close-up of a man's smile with a small bit of hair under his lower lip
A soul patch.

Etymology

The hairstyle itself has existed for centuries, coming in and out of popularity under various designations such as mouche, but the term soul patch dates to the 1980s[1][2] and relates to its popularization (from the 1950s onwards) by African American musicians, especially jazz musicians: compare soul food, soul music, soul brother, and the hairstyle's alternative name, jazz dot.[3]

Noun

soul patch (plural soul patches)

  1. A narrow beard descending from the lower lip, above the chin.
    Synonyms: jazz dot, flavor saver (slang), mouche (especially historically)

Translations

References

  1. ^ “soul patch”, in Merriam-Webster Online, Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 1996–present.
  2. ^ “soul patch”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
  3. ^ Maciej Widawski, African American Slang: A Linguistic Description (2015), page 28. (See also Joel Rudinow, Soul Music: Tracking the Spiritual Roots of Pop (2010), page 10.)

Further reading

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