widow's peak

A young woman with a widow's peak

Woman with a Widow's peak

A widow's peak (also known as a widow's brow) is a descending V-shaped point in the middle of the hairline (above the forehead). It is an example of a dominant inherited trait. 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]

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.^[1]

In popular culture, "evil" characters are often depicted with a widow's peak.^{[citation needed]}

Fictional people with widow's peak

• Doc Savage
• Eddie Munster
• Count Dracula
• Hannibal Lecter (described as having one in the novels)
• The Joker (Batman's arch-enemy, nearly always depicted with a widow's peak)
• Isabella Swan
• Vegeta
• Peter Tummelier (from the novel Tap,Tap by David Martin)
• Little Mac (from the Wii version of Punch-Out!!)
• Mom (from futurama)
• The G-man from Half-Life.

See also

List of Mendelian traits in humans

References

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