towhead

Towhead is a term with two main, distinct meanings in English.

One sense refers to a person with very light blond or almost white hair, typically a child. The word derives from tow, the coarse flax or hemp fiber, and it is used to describe hair that resembles the pale, fibrous material. The adjective form towheaded is common in older or regional usage.

The other sense is geographical: a towhead is a sandbar, shoal, or small island formed by sediment deposition in a river, often with grasses or other vegetation. Towheads are typical in large river systems and can be dynamic, changing position or size with floods and seasonal flows. They may present navigational hazards or serve as landmarks for boat traffic and wildlife.

Etymology notes suggest the hair sense arises directly from the resemblance to tow fiber. The river sense, first attested in 19th-century American English, is a metaphorical use likely based on the appearance or formation of pale, fibrous-looking accumulations of sediment and vegetation.

In summary, towhead can describe either pale blond hair or a vegetated river sandbar, depending on context. See also tow (fiber) and sandbar for related concepts.