Word: head Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree substratebor.? Proto-Indo-European *kap-? Proto-Indo-European *kap- Proto-Indo-European *káput Proto-Germanic *haubudą Old English hēafod Middle English heed English head From Middle English efd, had, hafd, heafd, hed, heed, hefet, heid, het, hevd, heved, hevid, hiede, hæfd, hæfedd, from Old English hēafod (“head; top; leader; origin”), from Proto-West Germanic *haubud, from Proto-Germanic *haubudą (“head”), from Proto-Indo-European *káput (“head”), from *kap- (“head; bowl, cup”). The modern word comes from Old English oblique stem hēafd-; the expected Modern English outcome for hēafod would be *heaved (similar to the Middle English word). Doublet of cape, capo, caput, chef, chief, and Howth. Cognates Cognate with Scots heid (“head”), Yola haade, hade, heade (“head”), North Frisian Haur, hood (“head”), Saterland Frisian Haud, Hööft (“head”), West Frisian haad (“head”), Alemannic German Haupt (“head”), Dutch hoofd (“head”), German Haupt, Häupt (“head”), Vilamovian hiöet, hiöt, huöt, huø̄t (“head”), Yiddish הויפּט (hoypt, “head”), Danish hode, hoved (“head”), Elfdalian ovuð (“head”), Faroese høvd, høvur (“head”), Icelandic höfuð (“head”), Jamtish huvu (“head”), Norwegian Bokmål hode, hue (“head”), Norwegian Nynorsk haud, hauv, hove, hovu, hovud, hue, huggu, hugu, hugud, huvu, huvud (“head”), Scanian huweð (“head”), Swedish hufvud, hufwud, huve, huvud, hövve (“head”), Crimean Gothic hoef (“head”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐌱𐌹𐌳 (haubid), 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐌱𐌹𐌸 (haubiþ, “head”); also Irish and Scottish Gaelic cuach (“bowl; dome (of head)”), Welsh cawg (“basin, bowl, vessel”), Latin capud, capus, caput (“head”), Greek κεφάλι (kefáli), κεφαλή (kefalí, “head”), Central Kurdish کاپۆڵ (kapoll, “skull”), Sanskrit कपाल (kapāla, “skull; bowl”). Pronunciation: /hɛd/, /hɛːd/, /hed/, /hiːd/ 1. The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs. Labels: countable Example: Be careful when you pet that dog on the head; it may bite. Example: Afore we got to the shanty Colonel Applegate stuck his head out of the door. His temper had been getting raggeder all the time, and the sousing he got when he fell overboard had just about ripped what was left of it to ravellings. 2. The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The company is looking for people with good heads for business. Example: He has no head for heights. 3. The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs. Labels: countable, figuratively, metonymically, uncountable Example: This song keeps going through my head. Example: “Anthea hasn't a notion in her head but to vamp a lot of silly mugwumps. She's set her heart on that tennis bloke[…]whom the papers are making such a fuss about.” 4. The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: He found whist, and gymkhanas, and things of that kind (meant to amuse one after office) good; but he took them seriously, too, just as seriously as he took the “head” that followed after drink. Example: "Now you have done it, Spuds," said Cripps. "You'll have an awful head on you tomorrow." 5. The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: a laced head Example: a head of hair 6. The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs. Labels: countable, figuratively, metonymically, uncountable Example: Admission is three dollars a head. Example: […] but here we are obliged to diſcloſe ſome Maxims, which Publicans hold to be the grand Myſteries of their Trade. […] And, laſtly, if any of their Gueſts call but for little, to make them pay a double Price for every Thing they have ; ſo that the Amount by the Head may be much the ſame. 7. The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: 200 head of cattle and 50 head of horses 8. The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: We have a heavy head of deer this year. 9. The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs. Labels: countable, uncountable 10. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable Example: What does it say at the head of the page? Example: Men that I knew around Wapatomac didn't wear high, shiny plug hats, nor yeller spring overcoats, nor carry canes with ivory heads as big as a catboat's anchor, as you might say. 11. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: During meetings, the supervisor usually sits at the head of the table. 12. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable 13. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable 14. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Hit the nail on the head! 15. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable 16. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable 17. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The head of the compass needle is pointing due north. 18. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable 19. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Tap the head of the drum for this roll. 20. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The heads of your tape player need to be cleaned. 21. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable 22. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable 23. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable 24. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Pour me a fresh beer; this one has no head. Example: He never learned how to pour a glass of beer so it didn't have too much head. 25. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable 26. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable 27. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: A deep bed of this red sandstone occurs at the head of the Yen Shui valley, a few miles south of Ching-pien [translating 靖邊 /靖边 (Jìngbiān)]. 28. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: UK, countable, uncountable 29. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable Example: The content of a headline over a news story should be taken from the lead of the story. […] The head should give the same impression as the body of the story. 30. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable 31. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable 32. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable 33. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable 34. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: UK, countable, uncountable 35. The topmost, foremost, or leading part. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: In this repositary, the phenomena of nature are ranged under three principal heads. 36. A leader or expert. Labels: countable, metonymically Example: I'd like to speak to the head of the department. Example: Police arrested the head of the gang in a raid last night. 37. A leader or expert. Labels: countable, metonymically, uncountable Example: We saw the last Campaign that an Army of Fourscore Thousand of the best Troops in Europe, with the Duke of Marlborough at the Head of them, cou'd do nothing against an Enemy that were too numerous to be assaulted in their Camps, or attack'd in their Strong Holds. 38. A leader or expert. Labels: Ireland, UK, countable, metonymically, uncountable Example: At 4pm, the phone went. It was The Sun: 'We hear your daughter's been expelled for cheating at her school exams...' / She'd made a remark to a friend at the end of the German exam and had been pulled up for talking. / As they left the exam room, she muttered that the teacher was a 'twat'. He heard and flipped—a pretty stupid thing to do, knowing the kids were tired and tense after exams. Instead of dropping it, the teacher complained to the Head and Deb was carpeted. Example: I was called into the head's office to discuss my behaviour. 39. A leader or expert. Labels: countable, figuratively, metonymically, slang, uncountable Example: Only true heads know this. 40. A leader or expert. Labels: countable, metonymically, slang, uncountable 41. A significant or important part. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The expedition followed the river all the way to the head. 42. A significant or important part. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Give me a head of lettuce. Example: Plant breeding is always a numbers game.[…]The wild species we use are rich in genetic variation, […]. In addition, we are looking for rare alleles, so the more plants we try, the better. These rarities may be new mutations, or they can be existing ones that are neutral—or are even selected against—in a wild population. A good example is mutations that disrupt seed dispersal, leaving the seeds on the heads long after they are ripe. 43. A significant or important part. Labels: countable, uncountable 44. A significant or important part. Labels: countable, uncountable 45. A significant or important part. Labels: countable, uncountable 46. A significant or important part. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: I've got to go to the head. 47. A significant or important part. Labels: countable, in-plural, uncountable Example: Heads. (Roofing.) Tiles which are laid at the eaves of a house 48. A significant or important part. Labels: countable, uncountable 49. A significant or important part. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Holonym: phrase Example: Linguists will see that we reject some assumptions quite widely held in twentieth-century generative linguistics. The differences are sharp and explicit enough that they should provide grounds for discussion without causing confusion. For example, we do not believe subordinators (‘complementizers’) or coordinators (‘conjunctions’) are heads, and we treat every day as a noun phrase headed by day rather than a determinative phrase headed by every. […] That does not mean we are legislating a theoretical view: it is always possible to stop and ask whether certain facts about syntax are better explained under one theoretical conception rather than another. 50. A significant or important part. Labels: countable, uncountable 51. Headway; progress. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: We are having a difficult time making head against this wind. 52. Topic; subject. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: We will consider performance issues under the head of future improvements. 53. Denouement; crisis. Labels: countable, singular, uncountable Example: These issues are going to come to a head today. Example: Northumberland, thou Ladder wherewithall / The mounting Bullingbrooke aſcends my Throne, / The time ſhall not be many houres of age, / More then it is, ere foule ſinne, gathering head, / Shall breake into corruption […] 54. Pressure and energy. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Let the engine build up a good head of steam. Example: How much head do you have at the Glens Falls feeder dam? 55. Pressure and energy. Labels: countable, uncountable 56. Pressure and energy. Labels: countable, uncountable 57. Fellatio or cunnilingus; oral sex. Labels: slang, uncountable, vulgar Example: She gave great head. Example: Danny got head last night. 58. The glans penis. Labels: countable, slang, uncountable 59. A heavy or habitual user of illicit drugs. Labels: countable, slang Example: Then I saw the more advanced narcotic addicts, who shot unbelievable doses of powerful heroin in the main line – the vein of their arms; the hysien users; chloroform sniffers, who belonged to the riff-raff element of the dope chippeys, who mingled freely with others of their kind; canned heat stiffs, paragoric hounds, laudanum fiends, and last but not least, the veronal heads. Example: The term, "head," is, of course, not new with hippies. It has a long history among drug users generally, for whom it signified a regular, experienced user of any illegal drug—e.g., pot "head," meth "head," smack (heroin) "head." 60. Power; armed force. Labels: countable, obsolete, uncountable Example: My lord, my lord, the French have gathered head: