To arrange, style, or dress the hair; or the act of styling hair professionally.
Compound of 'hair' and 'dress,' where 'dress' means to arrange or prepare. This compound formed in the 18th-19th centuries as the profession of hair styling became more formalized.
'Hairdressing' became a legitimate career in the Victorian era when people became obsessed with elaborate hairstyles—you couldn't do those crazy updos without a professional.
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