A tangled or matted lock of hair, historically believed to be caused by elves playing tricks on people while they slept.
Compound of 'elf' and 'lock' (from Old English 'locc'). Medieval folklore attributed impossible hair tangles to supernatural mischief, with elves blamed for creating these painful knots overnight.
Elflocks were taken seriously in medieval and Renaissance Europe as medical phenomena—people actually sought physicians to treat them, showing how deeply folklore influenced everyday explanations for normal (if annoying) hair problems like bedhead.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.