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”).
Meanings
(not-comparable) Of, relating to, or intended for the head.
sa ककुद् (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · gu માથુ (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · kix khèu (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · kea kabesa (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · ru головно́й (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · bg but see на глава (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · bg заглава (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · nl hoofd (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · no hode- (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · la cacumen (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · pl głowowy (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · es de cabeza (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · fi pää- (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · de Kopf- (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · ja 頭の (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · eo kapa (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · el κεφαλικός (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · de Haupt- (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · hi सिर (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · tr kafa (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · tr baş (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · hi मस्तक (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · sk hlavový (of, relating to, or intended for the head) · la caput (of, relating to, or intended for the head)
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”).
Meanings
(countable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
Be careful when you pet that dog on the head; it may bite.
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. 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VIII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC, page 175:
(countable, qualifier:people, uncountable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs. ▸ To do with heads. ▸ Mental or emotional aptitude or skill.
He has no head for heights.
The company is looking for people with good heads for business.
It's all about having a good head on your shoulders.
And each of a succession of teachers who tried to show me that mathematical answers were derived logically and not through some form of esoteric inspiration was forced to give up with the assurance that I had no head for figures. My father 'would read my school reports with a gloom which in other respects they scarcely warranted. His mind worked, I think, this way: no head for figures = no idea of finance = no money. 1951, John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, published 1954, page 25:
(countable, figuratively, metonymically, qualifier:people, uncountable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs. ▸ To do with heads. ▸ Mind; one's own thoughts.
This song keeps going through my head.
“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.” 1935, George Goodchild, chapter 1, in Death on the Centre Court:
(countable, qualifier:people, uncountable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs. ▸ To do with heads. ▸ A headache; especially one resulting from intoxication.
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. 1888, Rudyard Kipling, “Thrown Away”, in Plain Tales from the Hills, Calcutta: Thacker, Spink and Co.; London: W. Thacker & Co., →OCLC, page 15:
"Now you have done it, Spuds," said Cripps. "You'll have an awful head on you tomorrow." 1913, Norman Lindsay, A Curate in Bohemia, Sydney: N.S.W. Bookstall Co., published 1932, page 117:
"Mornin', Tom," he said in a husky voice. Then as the wife left the room: "Got a drop of Scotch about? I've a head on me this morning." 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:
(countable, qualifier:people, uncountable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs. ▸ To do with heads. ▸ A headdress; a covering for the head.
a laced head
a head of hair
(countable, figuratively, metonymically, qualifier:people, uncountable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs. ▸ To do with heads. ▸ An individual person.
[…] 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. 1749, Henry Fielding, chapter VII, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume III, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book VIII, pages 196–197:
Admission is three dollars a head.
(countable, qualifier:animals; plural head; plural head, uncountable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs. ▸ To do with heads. ▸ A single animal; measure word for livestock and game.
200 head of cattle and 50 head of horses
(countable, qualifier:animals, uncountable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs. ▸ To do with heads. ▸ The population of game.
We have a heavy head of deer this year.
(countable, qualifier:animals, uncountable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs. ▸ To do with heads. ▸ The antlers of a deer.
(countable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
What does it say at the head of the page?
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. 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter X, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC, page 243:
(countable, uncountable) 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.
During meetings, the supervisor usually sits at the head of the table.
(countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ The end of a table. ▸ The end of a pool table opposite the end where the balls have been racked.
(countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ The principal operative part of a machine, tool or fastener. ▸ The end of a hammer, axe, golf club, or similar implement used for striking other objects.
(countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ The principal operative part of a machine, tool or fastener. ▸ The end of a nail, screw, bolt, or similar fastener which is opposite the point; usually blunt and relatively wide.
Hit the nail on the head!
(countable, of a rivet, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ The principal operative part of a machine, tool or fastener. ▸ The larger-diameter end of an unused rivet, properly the factory head or ambiguously the shop head, as opposed to the bucktail which is passed through the items to be fastened and then upset into an appropriate shape, generally pancake-shaped for a solid rivet or doughnut-shaped for a blind rivet, called the field head or ambiguously the shop head.
(countable, of a rivet, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ The principal operative part of a machine, tool or fastener. ▸ Either, or in plural both, ends of a used rivet, the factory head and the field head.
(countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ The principal operative part of a machine, tool or fastener. ▸ The sharp end of an arrow, spear, or pointer.
The head of the compass needle is pointing due north.
(countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ The principal operative part of a machine, tool or fastener. ▸ The top part of a lacrosse stick that holds the ball.
(countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ The principal operative part of a machine, tool or fastener. ▸ A drum head, the membrane which is hit to produce sound.
Tap the head of the drum for this roll.
(countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ The principal operative part of a machine, tool or fastener. ▸ A machine element which reads or writes electromagnetic signals to or from a storage medium.
The heads of your tape player need to be cleaned.
(countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ The principal operative part of a machine, tool or fastener. ▸ The part of a disk drive responsible for reading and writing data.
(countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ The principal operative part of a machine, tool or fastener. ▸ The cylinder head, a platform above the cylinders in an internal combustion engine, containing the valves and spark plugs.
(countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ The principal operative part of a machine, tool or fastener. ▸ A milling head, a part of a milling machine that houses the spindle.
(countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ The foam that forms on top of beer or other carbonated beverages.
He never learned how to pour a glass of beer so it didn't have too much head.
Pour me a fresh beer; this one has no head.
(countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ The end cap of a cylindrically-shaped pressure vessel.
(countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ The end cap of a cask or other barrel.
(countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ The uppermost part of a valley.
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)]. 1912, Robert Sterling Clark, Arthur de Carle Sowerby, Through Shên-kan: The Account of the Clark Expedition in North China, 1908-9., T. Fisher Unwin, →OCLC, page 122:
(UK, countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ Deposits near the top of a geological succession.
(countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ Synonym of tidal bore.
(abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ Ellipsis of headline.
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. 1968, Earl English, Clarence Hach, Scholastic Journalism, page 166:
(countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ The end of an abscess where pus collects.
(countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ The headstock of a guitar.
(countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ A leading component. ▸ The top edge of a sail.
(countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ A leading component. ▸ The bow of a vessel.
(UK, countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ A headland.
(countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part. ▸ A title or heading in a book or other document.
In this repositary, the phenomena of nature are ranged under three principal heads. 1807, George Burnett, Specimens of English Prose Writers, page 351:
(countable, metonymically, qualifier:social) A leader or expert.
Police arrested the head of the gang in a raid last night.
He's (the) head of a project here.
I'd like to speak to the head of the department.
“I don't know how you and the ‘head,’ as you call him, will get on, but I do know that if you call my duds a ‘livery’ again there'll be trouble. It's bad enough to go around togged out like a life saver on a drill day, but I can stand that 'cause I'm paid for it. What I won't stand is to have them togs called a livery.[…]” 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
(countable, metonymically, qualifier:social, uncountable) A leader or expert. ▸ The place of honor or command; the most important or foremost position; the front.
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. 1708, Joseph Addison, The present state of the war, and the necessity of an augmentation, consider'd, page 33:
(Ireland, UK, countable, metonymically, qualifier:social, uncountable) A leader or expert. ▸ A headteacher.
I was called into the head's office to discuss my behaviour.
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. 1992 June 24, Edwina Currie, Diary:
(countable, figuratively, metonymically, qualifier:social, slang, uncountable) A leader or expert. ▸ A person with an extensive knowledge of hip hop.
Only true heads know this.
(countable, metonymically, qualifier:social; African-American Vernacular; African-American Vernacular, slang, uncountable) A leader or expert. ▸ An old head.
(countable, uncountable) 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.
The expedition followed the river all the way to the head.
(countable, uncountable) A significant or important part. ▸ A beginning or end, a protuberance. ▸ A clump of seeds, leaves or flowers; a capitulum.
Give me a head of lettuce.
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. 2013 May-June, David Van Tassel, Lee DeHaan, “Wild Plants to the Rescue”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, archived from the original on 14 Aug 2013:
(countable, uncountable) A significant or important part. ▸ A beginning or end, a protuberance. ▸ A clump of seeds, leaves or flowers; a capitulum. ▸ An ear of wheat, barley, or other small cereal.
(countable, uncountable) A significant or important part. ▸ A beginning or end, a protuberance. ▸ A clump of seeds, leaves or flowers; a capitulum. ▸ The leafy top part of a tree.
(countable, uncountable) A significant or important part. ▸ A beginning or end, a protuberance. ▸ The rounded part of a bone fitting into a depression in another bone to form a ball-and-socket joint.
(countable, uncountable) A significant or important part. ▸ A beginning or end, a protuberance. ▸ The toilet of a ship.
I've got to go to the head.
(countable, in-plural, uncountable) A significant or important part. ▸ A beginning or end, a protuberance. ▸ Tiles laid at the eaves of a house.
Heads. (Roofing.) Tiles which are laid at the eaves of a house 1875, Edward H. Knight, Knight's American Mechanical Dictionary, vol. II, page 1086
(countable, qualifier:jazz, uncountable) A significant or important part. ▸ A component. ▸ The principal melody or theme of a piece.
(countable, uncountable) A significant or important part. ▸ A component. ▸ 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.
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. 2022, Rodney Huddleston, Geoffrey K. Pullum, Brett Reynolds, A Student's Introduction to English Grammar, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, page xvi:
Holonym: phrase
(countable, uncountable) A significant or important part. ▸ A component. ▸ The first fraction of a distillation run, having a low boiling point.
(countable, uncountable) Headway; progress.
We are having a difficult time making head against this wind.
(countable, uncountable) Topic; subject.
We will consider performance issues under the head of future improvements.
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 […] 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], page 41:
The indiſpoſition which has long hung upon me, is at laſt grown to ſuch an head, that it muſt quickly make an end of me, or of itſelf. 1712 October 18, anonymous letter in The Spectator, edited by Joseph Addison, no. 513, collected in The Works of the Late Right Honorable Joseph Addison, Esq, Birmingham: John Baskerville, published 1761, volume IV, page 10
These issues are going to come to a head today.
(countable, uncountable) Pressure and energy. ▸ A buildup of fluid pressure, often quantified as pressure head.
How much head do you have at the Glens Falls feeder dam?
Let the engine build up a good head of steam.
(countable, uncountable) Pressure and energy. ▸ The difference in elevation between two points in a column of fluid, and the resulting pressure of the fluid at the lower point.
(countable, uncountable) Pressure and energy. ▸ More generally, energy in a mass of fluid divided by its weight.
(slang, uncountable, vulgar) Fellatio or cunnilingus; oral sex.
She gave great head.
Danny got head last night.
(countable, slang, uncountable) The glans penis.
(countable, slang) A heavy or habitual user of illicit drugs.
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." 1968, Fred Davis with Laura Munoz, “Heads and freaks: patterns and meanings of drug use among hippies”, in Journal of Health and Social Behavior, volume 9, number 2, pages 156–64:
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. 1936, Lee Duncan, Over The Wall, Dutton:
The hutch now looks like a “Turkish bath,” and the heads have their arms around one another, passing the pipe and snapping their fingers as they sing Smokey Robinson's “Tracks of My Tears” into the night. 2004, Martin Torgoff, “Next Stop is Vietnam”, in Can’t Find My Way Home: America in the Great Stoned Age, 1945–2000, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 177:
My lord, my lord, the French have gathered head: 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv], page 100:
uk голо́вка (end of hammer, axe, golf club etc.) · nn hovud (part of the body) · sv föreståndare (leader, chief, mastermind) · atv паш (part of the body) · lnb omutwe class 3 (part of the body) · pl korona (leafy top part of a tree) · ccc kashki (part of the body) · sv direktör (leader, chief, mastermind) · hi प्रमुख (leader, chief, mastermind) · tt баш (leader, chief, mastermind) · yua joʼol (part of the body) · te శీర్షము (topmost or leading part) · sk hlavička (medicine: the end of an abscess where pus collects) · uk верхі́вка (topmost or leading part) · es maceta (part of the body) · br pennoù (part of the body) · th ศีรษะ (part of the body) · nl hoofdmeester (headmaster, headmistress) · fr mousse (foam on carbonated beverages) · ja 指導者 (leader, chief, mastermind) · my ခေါင်း (part of the body) · ang hafela (part of the body) · zh 泡泡 (foam on carbonated beverages) · ikz umutwɨ class 3 (part of the body) · pl pogłowie (measure word for livestock and game) · krc баш (part of the body) · bg дире́ктор (headmaster, headmistress) · nl schuim (foam on carbonated beverages) · udm йыр (part of the body) · cdm तालाङ् (part of the body) · nl baas (leader, chief, mastermind) · cs ředitelka (headmaster, headmistress) · tk kelle baş (part of the body) · ang hēafod (part of the body) · fi kärki (sharp end of an arrow, spear, or pointer) · nyo omutwe class 3 (part of the body) · ga ceann (clump of seeds, leaves or flowers) · nds Vörsitter (leader, chief, mastermind) · fa سَر (part of the body) · mi pane (part of the body) · pl główka (clump of seeds, leaves or flowers) · fag kaligubang (part of the body) · gur zuugo (part of the body) · bal سرگ (part of the body) · chr ᎠᏍᎪᎵ (part of the body) · fi lapa (top part of a lacrosse stick that holds the ball) · gwr omutwe class 3 (part of the body) · sq krye (part of the body) · es coco (part of the body) · ca cap (measure word for livestock and game) · ca punta (topmost or leading part) · cs hlava (part of the body) · ki mũtwe (part of the body) · lad kapo (leader, chief, mastermind) · enm heed (part of the body) · duu u (part of the body) · is höfuð (part of the body) · luy kumurwe (part of the body) · mga cenn (part of the body) · ro căpetenie (leader, chief, mastermind) · fi kanta (blunt end of a nail, screw etc.) · sa शिर (topmost or leading part) · ti ርእሲ (part of the body) · ar رَئِيسَة (individual person) · tsd τζουφά (part of the body) · sco heid (part of the body) · tzm ⴰⵇⵕⵕⵓ (part of the body) · fi pää (tiles laid at the eaves of a house) · be гало́ўка (end of hammer, axe, golf club etc.) · fi kansi (end cap of a cylindrically-shaped pressure vessel) · aau makwe (part of the body) · sd سر (part of the body) · fur cjâf (leader, chief, mastermind) · ru кро́на (leafy top part of a tree) · uli chiim (part of the body) · inh корта (part of the body) · kg ntu (part of the body) · mr मुख्याध्यापक (headmaster, headmistress) · lv galva (part of the body) · ssc omotwe class 3 (part of the body) · jv mustaka (part of the body) · sv förmåga (mental aptitude or skill) · fr capitule (clump of seeds, leaves or flowers) · aa amo (part of the body) · ru верши́на (topmost or leading part) · th ผู้นำ (leader, chief, mastermind) · pt colarinho (foam on carbonated beverages) · ams 頭 (part of the body) · ru голо́вка (element which reads or writes electromagnetic signals to or from a storage medium) · mt ras (part of the body) · okn 頭 (part of the body) · pim mendabuccah (part of the body) · zh 校長 /校长 (headmaster, headmistress) · sw mkuu (leader, chief, mastermind) · nci tzontecomatl (part of the body) · es cabeza (blunt end of a nail, screw etc.) · bol koyi (part of the body) · fi pää (individual person) · fro teste (part of the body) · am ራስ (part of the body) · ru галью́н (toilet of a ship) · fi paine (buildup of fluid pressure) · eu nagusi (leader, chief, mastermind) · br penn (part of the body) · wa tiesse (part of the body) · wyi gawang (part of the body) · mi kiko (end of hammer, axe, golf club etc.) · de Kopf (end of hammer, axe, golf club etc.) · da hoved (part of the body) · el κεφαλή (topmost or leading part) · nmn nàn (part of the body) · niv тёӈр̌ (part of the body) · pl bijak (end of hammer, axe, golf club etc.) · ru остриё (sharp end of an arrow, spear, or pointer) · nl hoofd (part of the body) · es marote (part of the body) · gd ceann (part of the body) · jui akadi (part of the body) · bal سر (part of the body) · ca capçada (leafy top part of a tree) · aqc картӏи (part of the body) · he רֹאשׁ (part of the body) · es colodrillo (part of the body) · nle omuchwe class 3 (part of the body) · ryn 頭 (part of the body) · grc κάρα (part of the body) · sma åejjie (part of the body) · ja 冒頭 (topmost or leading part) · nmb pət (part of the body) · be гало́ўка (element which reads or writes electromagnetic signals to or from a storage medium) · de Leiterin (headmaster, headmistress) · ntk omutu class 3 (part of the body) · es melón (part of the body) · ca closca (part of the body) · eo kapo (part of the body) · eu buruzagi (leader, chief, mastermind) · fi rehtori (headmaster, headmistress) · mak ulu (part of the body) · grc προστάτης (leader, chief, mastermind) · rcf tèt (part of the body) · pl szczyt (end of a table) · uk дире́кторка (headmaster, headmistress) · fa رَئیس (individual person) · fi pää (principal operative part of a machine or tool) · kmr serperişt (headmaster, headmistress) · ruq cap (part of the body) · zh 頭 /头 (part of the body) · ar رَئِيس (individual person) · uk керівни́ця (leader, chief, mastermind) · tke muru class 3 (part of the body) · es sabiola (part of the body) · ab ахы (part of the body) · bo དབུ (part of the body) · mgu moru (part of the body) · csb głowa (part of the body) · nds Böverste (leader, chief, mastermind) · fi kirjoituspää (computing: part of a disk drive responsible for reading and writing data) · pt chefe (leader, chief, mastermind) · he שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (blunt end of a nail, screw etc.) · goh houbit (part of the body) · nl krop (clump of seeds, leaves or flowers) · bg глава́ (individual person) · fi joensuu (source of a river; the end of a lake where a river flows into it) · pag olo (part of the body) · es giste (cerveza) (foam on carbonated beverages) · su mastaka (part of the body) · kea kabesa (leader, chief, mastermind) · pl kierowniczka (leader, chief, mastermind) · pnt τσουφάλι (part of the body) · rhg matá (part of the body) · sv huvud (end of hammer, axe, golf club etc.) · kmr serok (leader, chief, mastermind) · vo kap (part of the body) · prg galwo (part of the body) · tpn porubixaba (leader, chief, mastermind) · enm heed (source of a river; the end of a lake where a river flows into it) · mhr вуй (part of the body) · mnc ᠣᠪᠣᠩᡤᡳ (foam on carbonated beverages) · fr tête (blunt end of a nail, screw etc.) · tr başak (ear of cereal) · cu ⰳⰾⰰⰲⰰ (part of the body) · phn 𐤓𐤀𐤔 (part of the body) · nds Tippen (topmost or leading part) · twf pʼínemą (part of the body) · ake puꞌpɨ (part of the body) · udi бул (part of the body) · pt cabeça (topmost or leading part) · mn толгой (part of the body) · fur cjâf (part of the body) · haw poʻo (part of the body) · eve дыл (part of the body) · acm راس (part of the body) · ru руководи́тель (leader, chief, mastermind) · ket kajga (part of the body) · nds Tippel (topmost or leading part) · mkz da'e (part of the body) · as মূৰ (part of the body) · he נוֹף (leafy top part of a tree) · izh pää (part of the body) · msk oro (part of the body) · dlm cup (part of the body) · sat ᱵᱚᱦᱚᱜ (part of the body) · ast tiesta (part of the body) · eu kasko (part of the body) · ain サパ (part of the body) · de Kopf (part of the body) · hak 頭那 /头那 (part of the body) · hi शीर्ष (topmost or leading part) · ne टाउको (part of the body) · pl głowica (computing: part of a disk drive responsible for reading and writing data) · is yfirmaður (leader, chief, mastermind) · ng omutse class 3 (part of the body) · ist tiesta (part of the body) · sg li (part of the body) · co capu (part of the body) · njo-jgl tekolak (part of the body) · tpi het (part of the body) · bal سروک (leader, chief, mastermind) · bor aora (part of the body) · ru мозг (mental aptitude or skill) · mvi カナマい (part of the body) · yo olórí (leader, chief, mastermind) · wo boopa (part of the body) · pt diretor (headmaster, headmistress) · nl kop (part of the body) · heh umutwe class 3 (part of the body) · sa शिर (leader, chief, mastermind) · de Kopf (linguistics: morpheme that determines the category of a compound) · hy պետ (leader, chief, mastermind) · kpy лэвʼыт (part of the body) · pga ras (part of the body) · xdk gabara (part of the body) · ain パケ (part of the body) · ru верх (topmost or leading part) · tsu fnguu (part of the body) · shi ixf (part of the body) · ady шъхьэ (part of the body) · sk hlavička (blunt end of a nail, screw etc.) · fa نوک (topmost or leading part) · fr directeur (headmaster, headmistress) · nds Tipp (topmost or leading part) · tlj mutuwe class 3 (part of the body) · sv övre ända (topmost or leading part) · de Haupt (leader, chief, mastermind) · kms ngawu (part of the body) · yo orí (part of the body) · myv пря (part of the body) · fi pää (mind; one's own thoughts) · fi nenä (mental aptitude or skill) · crh baş (leader, chief, mastermind) · fi narkkari (slang: heavy or habitual user of drugs) · enm heed (blunt end of a nail, screw etc.) · pl główka (end of hammer, axe, golf club etc.) · mh bar (part of the body) · is höfuð (blunt end of a nail, screw etc.) · kn ತಲೆ (part of the body) · fi päällikkö (leader, chief, mastermind) · nb hode (end of hammer, axe, golf club etc.) · fi jälkiosa (linguistics: morpheme that determines the category of a compound) · ko 통 (clump of seeds, leaves or flowers) · ml തല (part of the body) · bg глава́ (clump of seeds, leaves or flowers) · mos zúgù (part of the body) · be галава́ (individual person) · ja 頭 (part of the body) · zlw-ocs hlava (part of the body) · ota كله (part of the body) · ur سَر (part of the body) · fi pää (measure word for livestock and game) · frr Haur (part of the body) · guz omotwe class 3 (part of the body) · pt diretora (headmaster, headmistress) · fi voimat (power; armed force) · sm ulu (part of the body) · sh gláva (part of the body) · ko 마리 (measure word for livestock and game) · ak ti (part of the body) · kw penn (part of the body) · kmr ser (part of the body) · xda kamburung (part of the body) · jit omutwe class 3 (part of the body) · win nąąsu (part of the body) · br penn (leader, chief, mastermind) · sva თხვიმ (part of the body) · pl głowa (mental aptitude or skill) · kok मात्ते (part of the body) · ro cap (leader, chief, mastermind) · fa کَلِّه (part of the body) · mxz oke (part of the body) · mi māhunga (part of the body) · bo མགོ (part of the body) · se oaivi (part of the body) · ta தலைவர் (leader, chief, mastermind) · bg глава́ (leader, chief, mastermind) · uk голова́ (leader, chief, mastermind) · es jefe (leader, chief, mastermind) · tpw akanga (part of the body) · io kapo (part of the body) · si ඔළුව (part of the body) · pl głowica (element which reads or writes electromagnetic signals to or from a storage medium) · nl hoofd (geven) (slang: oral sex) · tpw 'a (part of the body) · gl testa (part of the body) · fi hydrostaattinen paine (fluid dynamics: difference in elevation in a column of fluid, and the resulting pressure) · pl dennica (end cap of a cylindrically-shaped pressure vessel) · got 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐌱𐌹𐌸 (part of the body) · arc ܪܝܫܐ (part of the body) · kg n'tu (part of the body) · ttt kəllə (part of the body) · cs hlava (blunt end of a nail, screw etc.) · evn дыл (part of the body) · nds Höövd (part of the body) · ban endas (part of the body) · gl cabeza (mental aptitude or skill) · kj omutwe class 3 (part of the body) · nl kop (end of hammer, axe, golf club etc.) · ktu yintu (part of the body) · pt cabeça (end of hammer, axe, golf club etc.) · hy գլուխ (leader, chief, mastermind) · rys 頭 (part of the body) · fi putouskorkeus (fluid dynamics: difference in elevation in a column of fluid, and the resulting pressure) · de Rektor (headmaster, headmistress) · ia leader (leader, chief, mastermind) · ar راس (part of the body) · de Leiter (headmaster, headmistress) · gag baş (part of the body) · ssy amo (part of the body) · oc tèsta (part of the body) · hi प्रधानाचार्य (headmaster, headmistress) · sto pa (part of the body) · ofs hāved (part of the body) · bn মাথা (part of the body) · ja 頭 (part of the body) · lut sx̌əy̓us (part of the body) · bg ръководи́тел (leader, chief, mastermind) · teg otswi (part of the body) · tt баш (part of the body) · pt cabeça (mental aptitude or skill) · be вяршы́ня (topmost or leading part) · nod ᩉ᩠ᩅᩫ (part of the body) · fr bout (topmost or leading part) · xbc σαρο (part of the body) · eu buru (mental aptitude or skill) · pl lód (slang: oral sex) · tum mutu (part of the body) · ree kuhung (part of the body) · sk hlava (mental aptitude or skill) · hi कपाल (part of the body) · sux 𒊕 (part of the body) · fr tinettes (toilet of a ship) · bg коро́на (leafy top part of a tree) · kca-nor өк (part of the body) · enm heed (place of honour, or of command; the most important or foremost position) · km ក្បាល (part of the body) · it testa (mental aptitude or skill) · txb āśce (part of the body) · cjs паш (part of the body) · emp boro (part of the body) · it capo (leader, chief, mastermind) · khb ᦷᦠ (part of the body) · gez ርእስ (part of the body) · wuu 頭 /头 (part of the body) · pjt kata (part of the body) · zh 開頭 /开头 (topmost or leading part) · unm wil (part of the body) · bcl payo (part of the body) · ja 頭 (part of the body) · es punta (topmost or leading part) · ovd skolle (part of the body) · ny mutú (part of the body) · uga 𐎗𐎛𐎌 (part of the body) · ja 頭 (measure word for livestock and game) · luo wich (part of the body) · sk hlava (mind; one's own thoughts) · pdt Haupt (part of the body) · zu ikhanda (part of the body) · sk hlava (part of the body) · hay omutwe class 3 (part of the body) · pis hed (part of the body) · an capeza (part of the body) · enm heed (mind; one's own thoughts) · id hulu (part of the body) · zza šeroğ (leader, chief, mastermind) · fi herkkumutteri (slang: glans penis) · gl res (measure word for livestock and game) · jra akŏ (part of the body) · gv kione (part of the body) · yox 頭 (part of the body) · frr hood (part of the body) · nds Vörsittersche (leader, chief, mastermind) · fi pää (medicine: the end of an abscess where pus collects) · fi pää (topmost or leading part) · cic ishkobo (part of the body) · nds Kopp (part of the body) · id kepala (part of the body) · uk керівни́к (leader, chief, mastermind) · ug باش (part of the body) · hy գլուխ (topmost or leading part) · br pennoù (leader, chief, mastermind) · nds Vörstoher (leader, chief, mastermind) · tl ulo (part of the body) · sl poglavar (leader, chief, mastermind) · mr हेडमास्तर (headmaster, headmistress) · nb evne (mental aptitude or skill) · ruc omutwe class 3 (part of the body) · lt galvà (part of the body) · es cabeza (leader, chief, mastermind) · mi upoko (part of the body) · pt núcleo (linguistics: morpheme that determines the category of a compound) · kjj микӏир (part of the body) · mr डोके (mental aptitude or skill) · zku mukarta (part of the body) · es sesera (part of the body) · clt luv (part of the body) · yue 頭 /头 (part of the body) · te ప్రధానోపాధ్యాయురాలు (headmaster, headmistress) · xog omutwe class 3 (part of the body) · fr tête (end of hammer, axe, golf club etc.) · pac plô (part of the body) · zza sere (diq) (part of the body) · mt ras (measure word for livestock and game) · la caput (part of the body) · ja 頭 (leader, chief, mastermind) · es cabeza (part of the body) · yur mohlkwoh (part of the body) · osp cabeça (part of the body) · yi אויבנאָן (end of a table) · mt madam (headmaster, headmistress) · ro șef (leader, chief, mastermind) · ill ulu (part of the body) · rif azeǧǧif (part of the body) · roa-tar capa (part of the body) · fi paine-ero (fluid dynamics: difference in elevation in a column of fluid, and the resulting pressure) · es cabeza (end of hammer, axe, golf club etc.) · lb Kapp (part of the body) · ngh nǀaa (part of the body) · lij tésta (part of the body) · gl crisma (part of the body) · xh intloko (part of the body) · ca punta (sharp end of an arrow, spear, or pointer) · te తల (part of the body) · be кіраўні́к (leader, chief, mastermind) · pcc jauc (part of the body) · eu buru (leader, chief, mastermind) · bej gírma (part of the body) · la praepositus (leader, chief, mastermind) · uk дире́ктор (headmaster, headmistress) · ges iloe (part of the body) · zh 腦袋 /脑袋 (part of the body) · nb hode (mental aptitude or skill) · lwg omurwe class 3 (part of the body) · sv chef (leader, chief, mastermind) · de Abtritt (toilet of a ship) · sa शिर (part of the body) · yai сар (part of the body) · cv пуҫ (part of the body) · sah бас (part of the body) · apd راس (part of the body) · fo høvd (part of the body) · mgh muru class 3 (part of the body) · es res (measure word for livestock and game) · fi lanttu (part of the body) · ca cap (part of the body) · fi pää (clump of seeds, leaves or flowers) · cir ô (part of the body) · egy tp:Z1 (part of the body) · th ประมุข (leader, chief, mastermind) · mhr вуй (mind; one's own thoughts) · zu inhloko (part of the body) · aho 𑜍𑜥 (part of the body) · xal толһа (part of the body) · yoi みんぶる (part of the body) · nap capucchióne (part of the body) · izh pää (measure word for livestock and game) · sl buča (part of the body) · ru голо́вка (computing: part of a disk drive responsible for reading and writing data) · bjb gaga (part of the body) · sk orál (slang: oral sex) · ia chef (leader, chief, mastermind) · de Kopf (topmost or leading part) · fi lähde (source of a river; the end of a lake where a river flows into it) · lad bash (leader, chief, mastermind) · tew pʼôn (part of the body) · bm kun (part of the body) · ca fava (slang: glans penis) · fi johtaja (leader, chief, mastermind) · fi kanta (population of game) · ota قفا (part of the body) · fi kärki (place of honour, or of command; the most important or foremost position) · sq maja (sharp end of an arrow, spear, or pointer) · mr डोके (mind; one's own thoughts) · fi käymälä (toilet of a ship) · enm heed (sharp end of an arrow, spear, or pointer) · tr kafa (part of the body) · mas elukunya (part of the body) · ovd ovuð (part of the body) · ru руководи́тельница (leader, chief, mastermind) · fa سَر (part of the body) · nap capuzzèlla (part of the body) · kk бас (part of the body)
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”).
Meanings
(transitive) To be in command of. (See also head up.)
Who heads the board of trustees?
to head an army, an expedition, or a riot
(transitive) To come at the beginning or front of; to commence.
The most important items headed the list.
The citations are set in smaller font, start on a new indented line and are headed with a date. 2018, James Lambert, “Setting the Record Straight: An In-depth Examination of Hobson-Jobson”, in International Journal of Lexicography, volume 31, number 4, →DOI, page 491:
A group of clowns headed the procession.
When it arrived, the train was headed by a "K" class 4-6-0 wood-burning locomotive, and a water-tank wagon next to the tender was immediately besieged by women and girls, clad in their picturesque national costume, all with empty kerosene tins for water, a scene which was re-enacted at each stop down the line. 1943 November and December, G. T. Porter, “The Lines Behind the Lines in Burma”, in Railway Magazine, page 325:
(transitive) To strike with the head
to head the ball
(intransitive) To move in a specified direction.
To the left towers the Jungfrau, with the train heading directly towards it. 1960 December, Voyageur, “The Mountain Railways of the Bernese Oberland”, in Trains Illustrated, page 752:
Next holiday we will head out West, or head to Chicago.
I'm fed up working for a boss. I'm going to head out on my own, set up my own business.
Where does the train head to?
We are going to head up North for our holiday.
That afternoon, she checked in with her mother, Hope Sprenger, and explained she was with her best friend, Natasha and would be heading over to her father’s place later. 2026 July 27, Nicholas Muhoro, “The Disappearance of Kayla Berg and the Condemned House Where Her Trail Ended”, in Skip Boring, archived from the original on 28 Jul 2026:
Right now I need to head into town to do some shopping.
We will head off tomorrow.
(transitive) To remove the head from (a fish).
The salmon are first headed and then scaled.
Near-synonyms: behead, dehead
(intransitive) To originate; to spring; to have its course, as a river.
a broad purling river, that heads in the great blue ridge of mountains, 1775, James Adair, The History of the American Indians, page 223:
The Templeton heads in the Cloncurry ranges[.] 1934, Henry G. Lamond, An Aviary on the Plains, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 156:
(intransitive) To form a head.
This kind of cabbage heads early.
To be honest, this hasn't been my Garden of Eden year. […] The lettuce turned bitter and bolted. The Green Comet broccoli was good, but my coveted Romanescos never headed up. 1995, Anne Raver, “Gandhi Gardening”, in Deep in the Green: An Exploration of Country Pleasures, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, →ISBN:
(of hardware, transitive, usually) To form a head (on or to); to fit or furnish (something) with a head.
“Well, you see, jist as Larry Toole was come down from headin’ the last rick, an’ we war takin’ away the laddher, out comes the misthress herself - long life to her - by the light o’ the moon; an’, ‘Boys,’ sez she, ‘yez hav’ finish‘d the harvist bravely, an’ I invite yez all to dinner here to-morrow; an’ if yez come airly, yez ’ill git mass in the big hall, widout the throuble o’ goin’ up all the ways to the chapel for it.’” 1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 514:
to head a nail
(transitive) To cut off the top of; to lop off.
to head trees
(obsolete, transitive) To behead; to decapitate.
I tell thee, man of God, the uncharitableness of the sect to which thou pertainest has thronged the land of punishment as much as those who headed, and hanged, and stabbed, and shot, and tortured. 1822, Allan Cunningham, “Ezra Peden”, in Traditional Tales of the English and Scottish Peasantry, volume 1, page 37:
If you head, and hang all that offend that way
but for ten yeare together; you'll be glad to giue out a
Commission for more heads c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
To go in front of.
to head a drove of cattle
to head a person
To get in the front of, so as to hinder or stop; to oppose.
The wind headed the ship and made progress difficult.
it andare (to move in a specified direction) · bg удрям с глава (to strike with the head) · eo konduki (to be in command of) · eo komandi (to be in command of) · el κατευθύνομαι (to move in a specified direction) · fo stúta (to strike with the head) · nl op weg zijn (naar/richting) (to move in a specified direction) · ja 指導する (to be in command of) · fi johtaa (to be in command of) · hi मुखिया (to be in command of) · eo kapizi (to fit or furnish with a head) · sv leda (to be in command of) · de an der Spitze stehen (to be in command of) · de köpfen (to cut off the top of) · eo celi (to move in a specified direction) · ca comandar (to be in command of) · ja 頭突きする (to strike with the head) · bg отправя се (to move in a specified direction) · de köpfen (fishing: to remove the head from a fish) · ca dirigir (to be in command of) · eo kapfrapi (to strike with the head) · ca cabotejar (to strike with the head) · lb käppen (to strike with the head) · de seinen Ursprung nehmen (to originate, as a river) · fi lähteä johonkin (to move in a specified direction) · de ziehen (nach/in Richtung) (to move in a specified direction) · ia commandar (to be in command of) · hu fakad (to originate, as a river) · he עמד בראש (to be in command of) · kmr birêvebirin (to be in command of) · eo kapumi (to form a head) · pt comandar (to be in command of) · fi suunnata (to move in a specified direction) · hu megy (to move in a specified direction) · fi kulkea kohti (to move in a specified direction) · fr être en tête de (to come at the beginning of; to commence) · hu élen/élén áll (to come at the beginning of; to commence) · fo skalla (to strike with the head) · be узнача́льваць (to be in command of) · sv nicka (to strike with the head) · pt dirigir (to be in command of) · ia leaderar (to be in command of) · pt encaminhar-se (to move in a specified direction) · uk направля́тися (to move in a specified direction) · bg оглавя (to be in command of) · de leiten (to be in command of) · mi naka (to move in a specified direction) · he עשה את דרכו (to move in a specified direction) · bg отправям се (to move in a specified direction) · ja 向かう (to move in a specified direction) · fi nostaa pystyyn (to set on the head) · bg обезглавя (fishing: to remove the head from a fish) · es dirigirse (to move in a specified direction) · eo alfronti (to get in the front of, so as to hinder or stop) · ja ヘディングする (to strike with the head) · fr commander (to be in command of) · cmn 往 (to move in a specified direction) · de vorangehen (to come at the beginning of; to commence) · eo ĉefi (to be in command of) · mi neke (to move in a specified direction) · is fara (to move in a specified direction) · bg ръководя (to be in command of) · ar اِتَّجَهَ (to move in a specified direction) · pl kierować się (to move in a specified direction) · fa اداره کردن (to be in command of) · hu irányít (to be in command of) · uk попрямува́ти (to move in a specified direction) · eo antaŭi (to go in front of) · de die Führung innehaben (to be in command of) · eo celiri (to move in a specified direction) · de vorausgehen (to go in front of) · ru возгла́вить (to be in command of) · bg поставям на глава (to set on the head) · br ren (to be in command of) · fr faire une tête (to strike with the head) · eo senkapigi (to cut off the top of) · de sich ganz vorne befinden (to come at the beginning of; to commence) · de sich bewegen (nach/in Richtung) (to move in a specified direction) · is afhausa (fishing: to remove the head from a fish) · hu fejel (to strike with the head) · es ir (to move in a specified direction) · nl onderweg zijn (naar) (to move in a specified direction) · nb lede (to come at the beginning of; to commence) · eo direktiĝi (to move in a specified direction) · is skalla (to strike with the head) · ru направля́ться (to move in a specified direction) · eu zuzendu (to be in command of) · ca anar (to move in a specified direction) · de die Spitze abschneiden (to cut off the top of) · fi pukata (to strike with the head) · de entspringen (to originate, as a river) · cmn 結球 /结球 (to form a head) · hi प्रधान (to be in command of) · ru главе́нствовать (to be in command of) · nb anføre (to be in command of) · de in die Quere kommen (to get in the front of, so as to hinder or stop) · hi प्रमुख (to be in command of) · ia diriger (to be in command of) · uk очо́лити (to be in command of) · nl zich begeven (naar/richting) (to move in a specified direction) · nl leiden (to be in command of) · fr aller (to move in a specified direction) · be ачо́льваць (to be in command of) · pt liderar (to be in command of) · nb nikke (to strike with the head) · de die Spitze bilden (to come at the beginning of; to commence) · fi katkaista (to cut off the top of) · bg извирам (to originate, as a river) · pt cabecear (to strike with the head) · ro comanda (to be in command of) · bg оглавявам (to be in command of) · is stefna (to move in a specified direction) · hu halad (to move in a specified direction) · de anführen (to come at the beginning of; to commence) · es encabezar (to be in command of) · fi saada alkunsa (to originate, as a river) · uk очо́лювати (to be in command of) · de köpfen (to strike with the head) · fi poistaa pää (fishing: to remove the head from a fish) · de vor gehen (einem/etwas) (to go in front of) · ru руководи́ть (to be in command of) · bg обезглавявам (fishing: to remove the head from a fish) · fi suunnistaa (to move in a specified direction) · de gehen (nach/in Richtung) (to move in a specified direction) · bg оглавявам (to come at the beginning of; to commence) · fr être à la tête de (to come at the beginning of; to commence) · de einen Kopf bilden (to form a head) · fi muodostaa kaalinpää (to form a head) · eu zuzendu (to move in a specified direction) · ia diriger se (to move in a specified direction) · mi ahu (to move in a specified direction) · ru возглавля́ть (to be in command of) · nb anføre (to come at the beginning of; to commence) · eo gvidi (to be in command of) · fr se diriger (to move in a specified direction) · id memimpin (to be in command of) · sv skalla (to strike with the head) · fr chapeauter (to be in command of) · eo senkapigi (fishing: to remove the head from a fish) · ru напра́виться (to move in a specified direction) · pl kierować (to be in command of) · pt rumar (to move in a specified direction) · sv åka (to move in a specified direction) · de an der Spitze stehen (to come at the beginning of; to commence) · de anführen (to be in command of) · sk ísť (to move in a specified direction) · de den Kopf entfernen (fishing: to remove the head from a fish) · ca encapçalar (to be in command of) · ms menuju (to move in a specified direction) · de entgegenkommen (to get in the front of, so as to hinder or stop) · is hausa (fishing: to remove the head from a fish) · es cabecear (to strike with the head) · nb heade (to strike with the head) · pt dirigir-se (to move in a specified direction) · ca liderar (to be in command of) · hu ered (to originate, as a river) · nl aanvoeren (to be in command of) · fi komentaa (to be in command of) · pl brać azymut (to move in a specified direction) · fr diriger (to be in command of) · sk hlavičkovať (to strike with the head) · pt ir (to move in a specified direction) · de führen (to be in command of) · id menuju (to move in a specified direction) · pt encabeçar (to go in front of) · de sich an der Spitze befinden (to come at the beginning of; to commence) · fi pysäyttää (to get in the front of, so as to hinder or stop) · de die Leitung innehaben (to be in command of) · bg ударя с глава (to strike with the head) · bg поставя на глава (to set on the head) · nb lede (to be in command of) · uk напра́витися (to move in a specified direction) · eo fonti (to originate, as a river) · fr courir (for: vers) (to move in a specified direction) · uk прямува́ти (to move in a specified direction) · hi मुख्य (to be in command of) · eo kapi (to form a head) · de auf den Kopf setzen (to set on the head) · fi tehdä pää (to fit or furnish with a head) · de fahren (nach/in Richtung) (to move in a specified direction) · sk viesť (to be in command of) · is leiða (to be in command of) · fi matkata kohti (to move in a specified direction) · pl wziąć azymut (to move in a specified direction) · bg оглавя (to come at the beginning of; to commence)
From Middle English heed, from Old English hēafod- (“main”), from Proto-West Germanic *haubida-, derived from the noun *haubid (“head”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian hööft-, West Frisian haad-, Dutch hoofd-, German Low German höövd-, German haupt-.
Meanings
(not-comparable) Foremost in rank or importance.
At the far end of the houses the head gardener stood waiting for his mistress, and he gave her strips of bass to tie up her nosegay. This she did slowly and laboriously, with knuckly old fingers that shook. 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXXIX, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, page 307:
bg горен (placed at the top or the front) · fi etu- (placed at the top or the front) · de Haupt- (foremost in rank or importance) · fi vasta- (coming from in front) · eo antaŭa (placed at the top or the front) · hi प्रधान (foremost in rank or importance) · ru ве́рхний (placed at the top or the front) · pt à cabeça (coming from in front) · he ראשי (foremost in rank or importance) · sv främst (placed at the top or the front) · ja 向かい (coming from in front) · sk hlavný (foremost in rank or importance) · grc ἀρχι- (foremost in rank or importance) · ja 先頭の (placed at the top or the front) · no første (placed at the top or the front) · pl czołowy (coming from in front) · pt mor (foremost in rank or importance) · ru гла́вный (foremost in rank or importance) · ru пере́дний (placed at the top or the front) · sv först (placed at the top or the front) · ja チーフ (foremost in rank or importance) · bg насрещен (coming from in front) · no leder- (placed at the top or the front) · hi प्रमुख (foremost in rank or importance) · sv först (foremost in rank or importance) · bg преден (placed at the top or the front) · ca cap (foremost in rank or importance) · fi pää- (foremost in rank or importance) · bg преден (foremost in rank or importance) · sv främst (foremost in rank or importance) · swg Haubd- (foremost in rank or importance) · sl gláven (placed at the top or the front) · he ראש (placed at the top or the front) · bg челен (foremost in rank or importance) · he ראש (foremost in rank or importance) · eo ĉefa (foremost in rank or importance) · ru встре́чный (coming from in front) · sl gláven (foremost in rank or importance) · no hoved- (foremost in rank or importance)