HEAD

head

(noun) a single domestic animal; “200 head of cattle”

drumhead, head

(noun) a membrane that is stretched taut over a drum

head

(noun) a projection out from one end; “the head of the nail”; “a pinhead is the head of a pin”

head

(noun) (nautical) a toilet on board a boat or ship

head

(noun) the striking part of a tool; “the head of the hammer”

head

(noun) (usually plural) the obverse side of a coin that usually bears the representation of a person’s head; “call heads or tails!”

head

(noun) that part of a skeletal muscle that is away from the bone that it moves

head, caput

(noun) the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains; “he stuck his head out the window”

head

(noun) the rounded end of a bone that fits into a rounded cavity in another bone to form a joint; “the head of the humerus”

mind, head, brain, psyche, nous

(noun) that which is responsible for one’s thoughts, feelings, and conscious brain functions; the seat of the faculty of reason; “his mind wandered”; “I couldn’t get his words out of my head”

head, head word

(noun) (grammar) the word in a grammatical constituent that plays the same grammatical role as the whole constituent

heading, header, head

(noun) a line of text serving to indicate what the passage below it is about; “the heading seemed to have little to do with the text”

question, head

(noun) the subject matter at issue; “the question of disease merits serious discussion”; “under the head of minor Roman poets”

point, head

(noun) a V-shaped mark at one end of an arrow pointer; “the point of the arrow was due north”

headway, head

(noun) forward movement; “the ship made little headway against the gale”

pass, head, straits

(noun) a difficult juncture; “a pretty pass”; “matters came to a head yesterday”

head

(noun) the front of a military formation or procession; “the head of the column advanced boldly”; “they were at the head of the attack”

fountainhead, headspring, head

(noun) the source of water from which a stream arises; “they tracked him back toward the head of the stream”

forefront, head

(noun) the part in the front or nearest the viewer; “he was in the forefront”; “he was at the head of the column”

head

(noun) the top of something; “the head of the stairs”; “the head of the page”; “the head of the list”

head

(noun) the foam or froth that accumulates at the top when you pour an effervescent liquid into a container; “the beer had a large head of foam”

head

(noun) a rounded compact mass; “the head of a comet”

promontory, headland, head, foreland

(noun) a natural elevation (especially a rocky one that juts out into the sea)

head

(noun) a user of (usually soft) drugs; “the office was full of secret heads”

head, chief, top dog

(noun) a person who is in charge; “the head of the whole operation”

head

(noun) an individual person; “tickets are $5 per head”

principal, school principal, head teacher, head

(noun) the educator who has executive authority for a school; “she sent unruly pupils to see the principal”

head

(noun) the pressure exerted by a fluid; “a head of steam”

capitulum, head

(noun) a dense cluster of flowers or foliage; “a head of cauliflower”; “a head of lettuce”

head

(noun) the length or height based on the size of a human or animal head; “he is two heads taller than his little sister”; “his horse won by a head”

head

(noun) the tip of an abscess (where the pus accumulates)

head

(verb) remove the head of; “head the fish”

steer, maneuver, manoeuver, manoeuvre, direct, point, head, guide, channelize, channelise

(verb) direct the course; determine the direction of travelling

head

(verb) to go or travel towards; “where is she heading”; “We were headed for the mountains”

lead, head

(verb) travel in front of; go in advance of others; “The procession was headed by John”

head, lead

(verb) be in charge of; “Who is heading this project?”

head

(verb) form a head or come or grow to a head; “The wheat headed early this year”

head

(verb) be in the front of or on top of; “The list was headed by the name of the president”

head, head up

(verb) be the first or leading member of (a group) and excel; “This student heads the class”

head

(verb) take its rise; “These rivers head from a mountain range in the Himalayas”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology 1

Noun

head (countable and uncountable, plural heads)

(countable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.

(people) To do with heads.

Mental or emotional aptitude or skill.

(figurative, metonymy) Mind; one's own thoughts.

A headache; especially one resulting from intoxication.

A headdress; a covering for the head.

(figurative, metonymy) An individual person.

(animals) To do with heads.

(uncountable, measure word for livestock and game) A single animal.

The population of game.

The antlers of a deer.

(countable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.

The end of a table.

The end of a rectangular table furthest from the entrance; traditionally considered a seat of honor.

(billiards) The end of a pool table opposite the end where the balls have been racked.

(countable) The principal operative part of a machine or tool.

The end of a hammer, axe, golf club, or similar implement used for striking other objects.

The end of a nail, screw, bolt, or similar fastener which is opposite the point; usually blunt and relatively wide.

The sharp end of an arrow, spear, or pointer.

(lacrosse) The top part of a lacrosse stick that holds the ball.

(music) A drum head, the membrane which is hit to produce sound.

A machine element which reads or writes electromagnetic signals to or from a storage medium.

(computing) The part of a disk drive responsible for reading and writing data.

(automotive) The cylinder head, a platform above the cylinders in an internal combustion engine, containing the valves and spark plugs.

The foam that forms on top of beer or other carbonated beverages.

(engineering) The end cap of a cylindrically-shaped pressure vessel.

(British, geology) Deposits near the top of a geological succession.

(medicine) The end of an abscess where pus collects.

(music) The headstock of a guitar.

(nautical) A leading component.

The top edge of a sail.

The bow of a vessel.

(British) A headland.

(social, countable, metonymy) A leader or expert.

The place of honour, or of command; the most important or foremost position; the front.

(metonymy) Leader; chief; mastermind.

(metonymy) A headmaster or headmistress.

(music, slang, figurative, metonymy) A person with an extensive knowledge of hip hop.

A significant or important part.

A beginning or end, a protuberance.

The source of a river; the end of a lake where a river flows into it.

A clump of seeds, leaves or flowers; a capitulum.

An ear of wheat, barley, or other small cereal.

The leafy top part of a tree.

(anatomy) The rounded part of a bone fitting into a depression in another bone to form a ball-and-socket joint.

(nautical) The toilet of a ship.

(in the plural) Tiles laid at the eaves of a house.

A component.

(jazz) The principal melody or theme of a piece.

(linguistics) A morpheme that determines the category of a compound or the word that determines the syntactic type of the phrase of which it is a member.

Headway; progress.

Topic; subject.

(uncountable) Denouement; crisis.

(fluid dynamics) Pressure and energy.

A buildup of fluid pressure, often quantified as pressure head.

The difference in elevation between two points in a column of fluid, and the resulting pressure of the fluid at the lower point.

More generally, energy in a mass of fluid divided by its weight.

(slang, uncountable) Fellatio or cunnilingus; oral sex.

(slang) The glans penis.

(slang, countable) A heavy or habitual user of illicit drugs.

(obsolete) Power; armed force.

Synonyms

• (part of the body): caput (anatomy); pate noggin (slang), loaf (slang), nut (slang), noodle (slang)bonce (British slang)

• (mental aptitude or talent): mind

• (mental or emotional control): composure, poise

• (topmost part of anything): top

• (leader): boss, chief, leader

• (headmaster, headmistress): headmaster m, headmistress f, principal (US)

• (toilet of a ship): See toilet and bathroom

• (top of a sail)

• (foam on carbonated beverages)

• (fellatio): blowjob, blow job, fellatio, oral sex

• (end of tool used for striking)

• (blunt end of fastener)

• See also head

Antonyms

• (topmost part of anything): base, bottom, underside, foot, tail

• (leader): subordinate, underling

• (blunt end of fastener): point, sharp end, tip

Usage notes

• To give something its head is to allow it to run freely. This is used for horses, and, sometimes, figuratively for vehicles.

Adjective

head (not comparable)

Of, relating to, or intended for the head.

Verb

head (third-person singular simple present heads, present participle heading, simple past and past participle headed)

(transitive) To be in command of. (See also head up.)

(transitive) To come at the beginning of; to commence.

(transitive) To strike with the head; as in soccer, to head the ball

(intransitive) To move in a specified direction.

(fishing) To remove the head from a fish.

(intransitive) To originate; to spring; to have its course, as a river.

(intransitive) To form a head.

(transitive) To form a head to; to fit or furnish with a head.

(transitive) To cut off the top of; to lop off.

(transitive, obsolete) To behead; to decapitate.

To go in front of.

To get in the front of, so as to hinder or stop; to oppose.

(by extension) To check or restrain.

To set on the head.

Etymology 2

Adjective

head (not comparable)

Foremost in rank or importance.

Placed at the top or the front.

Coming from in front.

Synonyms

• (foremost in rank or importance): chief, principal

• (placed at the top or the front): first, top

Antonyms

• (coming from in front): tail

Anagrams

• DHEA, ahed, hade

Proper noun

Head

A surname, from residence near a hilltop or the head of a river, or a byname for someone with an odd-looking head.

Anagrams

• DHEA, ahed, hade

Source: Wiktionary

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-head, suffix.

Definition: A variant of -hood.

Head, n. Etym: [OE. hed, heved, heaved, AS. heáfod; akin to D. hoofd, OHG. houbit, G. haupt, Icel. höfu, Sw. hufvud, Dan. hoved, Goth. haubip. The word does not corresponds regularly to L. caput head (cf. E. Chief, Cadet, Capital), and its origin is unknown.]

1. The anterior or superior part of an animal, containing the brain, or chief ganglia of the nervous system, the mouth, and in the higher animals, the chief sensory organs; poll; cephalon.

2. The uppermost, foremost, or most important part of an inanimate object; such a part as may be considered to resemble the head of an animal; often, also, the larger, thicker, or heavier part or extremity, in distinction from the smaller or thinner part, or from the point or edge; as, the head of a cane, a nail, a spear, an ax, a mast, a sail, a ship; that which covers and closes the top or the end of a hollow vessel; as, the head of a cask or a steam boiler.

3. The place where the head should go; as, the head of a bed, of a grave, etc.; the head of a carriage, that is, the hood which covers the head.

4. The most prominent or important member of any organized body; the chief; the leader; as, the head of a college, a school, a church, a state, and the like. "Their princes and heads." Robynson (More's Utopia). The heads of the chief sects of philosophy. Tillotson. Your head I him appoint. Milton.

5. The place or honor, or of command; the most important or foremost position; the front; as, the head of the table; the head of a column of soldiers. An army of fourscore thousand troops, with the duke Marlborough at the head of them. Addison.

6. Each one among many; an individual; -- often used in a plural sense; as, a thousand head of cattle. It there be six millions of people, there are about four acres for every head. Graunt.

7. The seat of the intellect; the brain; the understanding; the mental faculties; as, a good head, that is, a good mind; it never entered his head, it did not occur to him; of his own head, of his own thought or will. Men who had lost both head and heart. Macaulay.

8. The source, fountain, spring, or beginning, as of a stream or river; as, the head of the Nile; hence, the altitude of the source, or the height of the surface, as of water, above a given place, as above an orifice at which it issues, and the pressure resulting from the height or from motion; sometimes also, the quantity in reserve; as, a mill or reservoir has a good head of water, or ten feet head; also, that part of a gulf or bay most remote from the outlet or the sea.

9. A headland; a promontory; as, Gay Head. Shak.

10. A separate part, or topic, of a discourse; a theme to be expanded; a subdivision; as, the heads of a sermon.

11. Culminating point or crisis; hence, strength; force; height. Ere foul sin, gathering head, shall break into corruption. Shak. The indisposition which has long hung upon me, is at last grown to such a head, that it must quickly make an end of me or of itself. Addison.

12. Power; armed force. My lord, my lord, the French have gathered head. Shak.

13. A headdress; a covering of the head; as, a laced head; a head of hair. Swift.

14. An ear of wheat, barley, or of one of the other small cereals.

15. (Bot.) (a) A dense cluster of flowers, as in clover, daisies, thistles; a capitulum. (b) A dense, compact mass of leaves, as in a cabbage or a lettuce plant.

16. The antlers of a deer.

17. A rounded mass of foam which rises on a pot of beer or other effervescing liquor. Mortimer.

18. pl.

Definition: Tiles laid at the eaves of a house. Knight.

Note: Head is often used adjectively or in self-explaining combinations; as, head gear or headgear, head rest. Cf. Head, a. A buck of the first head, a male fallow deer in its fifth year, when it attains its complete set of antlers. Shak.

– By the head. (Naut.) See under By.

– Elevator head, Feed head, etc. See under Elevator, Feed, etc.

– From head to foot, through the whole length of a man; completely; throughout. "Arm me, audacity, from head to foot." Shak.

– Head and ears, with the whole person; deeply; completely; as, he was head and ears in debt or in trouble. [Colloq.] -- Head fast. (Naut.) See 5th Fast.

– Head kidney (Anat.), the most anterior of the three pairs of embryonic renal organs developed in most vertebrates -- Head money, a capitation tax; a poll tax. Milton.

– Head pence, a poll tax. [Obs.] -- Head sea, a sea that meets the head of a vessel or rolls against her course.

– Head and shoulders. (a) By force; violently; as, to drag one, head and shoulders. "They bring in every figure of speech, head and shoulders." Felton. (b) By the height of the head and shoulders; hence, by a great degree or space; by far; much; as, he is head and shoulders above them.

– Head or tail, this side or that side; this thing or that; -- a phrase used in throwing a coin to decide a choice, guestion, or stake, head being the side of the coin bearing the effigy or principal figure (or, in case there is no head or face on either side, that side which has the date on it), and tail the other side.

– Neither head nor tail, neither beginning nor end; neither this thing nor that; nothing distinct or definite; -- a phrase used in speaking of what is indefinite or confused; as, they made neither head nor tail of the matter. [Colloq.] -- Head wind, a wind that blows in a direction opposite the vessel's course.

– Out one's own head, according to one's own idea; without advice or coöperation of another. Over the head of, beyond the comprehension of. M. Arnold.

– To be out of one's head, to be temporarily insane.

– To come or draw to a head. See under Come, Draw.

– To give (one) the head, or To give head, to let go, or to give up, control; to free from restraint; to give license. "He gave his able horse the head." Shak. "He has so long given his unruly passions their head." South.

– To his head, before his face. "An uncivil answer from a son to a father, from an obliged person to a benefactor, is a greater indecency than if an enemy should storm his house or revile him to his head." Jer. Taylor.

– To lay heads together, to consult; to conspire.

– To lose one's head, to lose presence of mind.

– To make head, or To make head against, to resist with success; to advance.

– To show one's head, to appear. Shak.

– To turn head, to turn the face or front. "The ravishers turn head, the fight renews." Dryden.

Head, a.

Definition: Principal; chief; leading; first; as, the head master of a school; the head man of a tribe; a head chorister; a head cook.

Head, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Headed; p. pr. & vb. n. Heading.]

1. To be at the head of; to put one's self at the head of; to lead; to direct; to act as leader to; as, to head an army, an expedition, or a riot. Dryden.

2. To form a head to; to fit or furnish with a head; as, to head a nail. Spenser.

3. To behead; to decapitate. [Obs.] Shak.

4. To cut off the top of; to lop off; as, to head trees.

5. To go in front of; to get in the front of, so as to hinder or stop; to oppose; hence, to check or restrain; as, to head a drove of cattle; to head a person; the wind heads a ship.

6. To set on the head; as, to head a cask. To head off, to intercept; to get before; as, an officer heads off a thief who is escaping.

– To head up, to close, as a cask or barrel, by fitting a head to.

Head, v. i.

1. To originate; to spring; to have its A broad river, that heads in the great Blue Ridge. Adair.

2. To go or point in a certain direction; to tend; as, how does the ship head

3. To form a head; as, this kind of cabbage heads early.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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