dread

In Caribbean usage, primarily a clipping of "dreadlocks" — the matted, rope-like hairstyle most strongly associated with Rastafari, where the locks are understood as a covenant of faith rooted in the Nazarite vow of Numbers 6. By extension "dread" is also used as a respectful, affectionate term of address for a Rastafarian or for any locs-wearing person of like-minded outlook ("alright, dread?"), similar to how "bredren" works between male peers. The word also keeps its older Rastafarian metaphysical sense of holy awe — the "dread" of righteousness in the face of Babylon — which is where the hair style took its name in the first place. Hugely common in reggae, dub and roots lyrics from the 1970s onward.