Payot

Sidelocks, often anglicized as pe'ot (Hebrew: פֵּאוֹת, romanized: pēʾōt, lit. 'corners') or payes (Yiddish: פּאות, romanized: pejəs), are sidelocks or sideburns. Pe'ot are worn by some male adherents of Orthodox Judaism based on an interpretation of the Tanakhic injunction—in Leviticus 19:27—against shaving the "sides" of one's head. The singular form of the Hebrew pe'ot, pe'a (פֵּאָה), means 'corner', 'side', or 'edge'. There are different styles of pe'ot among adherents of Haredi Judaism and Hasidic Judaism, as well as among Yemenite Jews, and Chardal Jews. Yemenite Jews call their sidelocks simanim (סִימָנִים, 'signs') because their long, curled sidelocks serve as a distinguishing feature in Yemenite society (differentiating them from their Gentile neighbors).