Dictionary

headache en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈhɛdeɪk/
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English hevedeche, from Old English hēafodeċe. By surface analysis, head + ache.

Meanings

1. A pain or ache in the head.
   • I have a splitting headache after that party last night.
   • The beauty and brilliancy of this insect are indescribable, and none but a naturalist can understand the intense excitement I experienced when I at length captured it. On taking it out of my net and opening the glorious wings, my heart began to beat violently, the blood rushed to my head, and I felt much more like fainting than I have done when in apprehension of immediate death. I had a headache the rest of the day, so great was the excitement produced by what will appear to most people a very inadequate cause. 1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume II, London: Macmillan and Co., page 51:
   • I advise you to take some painkillers for the headache, it's probably nothing serious.
   • CNN spoke recently with several Conyers residents who said they still have blurry vision, shortness of breath, throat irritation or chronic headaches since the chemical plant fire. 2024 November 24, Chris Boyette, “Investigators release update on BioLab chemical plant fire probe”, in CNN, archived from the original on 30 Aug 2025:
   • Sometimes on television they tell you a product is "good for headaches." I don't want something that's good for headaches. I want something that's bad for headaches. And good for me. 1997, George Carlin, “Sports Roundup”, in Brain Droppings, New York City: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 68:
2. (figuratively) A nuisance or unpleasant problem.
   • The clumsy filing system has been a huge headache.
   • Bogland now dominates the scene and the construction engineers must have suffered many a headache in seeking to secure a firm foundation. 1957 May 14, Walter McGrath, “The Thurles-Clonmel Line, C.I.E.”, in Railway Magazine, page 319:

Forms

Deriveds

ice-pick headache · migraine headache · hypnic headache · red wine headache · headachy · headache tree · headache vine · cluster headache · sexual headache · thunderclap headache · suicide headache · I have a headache · alarm clock headache · ice cream headache · sick headache · preheadache · icecream headache · headaching · antiheadache

Hyponyms

hemicrania · migraine · tension headache · hangover · megrim

Synonyms

cephalalgia (physical pain) · pain in the neck (annoyance) · bother (annoyance)

Translations (181)

ml തലവേദന (pain or ache in the head) · ksw ခိၣ်ဆါ (pain or ache in the head) · ca maldecap (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · sw maumivu ya kichwa (pain or ache in the head) · la capitis dolor (pain or ache in the head) · fa-ira سَرْدَرْد (pain or ache in the head) · sat ᱵᱚᱦᱚᱜ ᱦᱟᱹᱥᱩ (pain or ache in the head) · yue 頭赤 /头赤 (pain or ache in the head) · ceb sakit sa ulo (pain or ache in the head) · mi kotiuru (pain or ache in the head) · scn mal' 'i testa (pain or ache in the head) · ilo sakit ti ulo (pain or ache in the head) · pt problemão (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · el μπελάς (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · alt баштыҥ оорузы (pain or ache in the head) · la cephalargia (pain or ache in the head) · es jaqueca (pain or ache in the head) · ka თავის ტკივილი (pain or ache in the head) · el πονοκέφαλος (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · pt dor de cabeça (pain or ache in the head) · el κεφαλαλγία (pain or ache in the head) · la dolor capitis (pain or ache in the head) · ug باش ئاغرىقى (pain or ache in the head) · ia mal de capite (pain or ache in the head) · hak 頭那痛 /头那痛 (pain or ache in the head) · ba мәшәҡәт (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · ms sakit kepala (pain or ache in the head) · ba баш ауыртыу (pain or ache in the head) · br poan-benn (pain or ache in the head) · cs bolest hlavy (pain or ache in the head) · sk bolesť hlavy (pain or ache in the head) · pl ból głowy (pain or ache in the head) · sl glavobol (pain or ache in the head) · nan-hbl 頭殼疼 /头壳疼 (pain or ache in the head) · ia mal de testa (pain or ache in the head) · arz صداع (pain or ache in the head) · hu fejfájás (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · oc mal de cap (pain or ache in the head) · hi सिरदर्द (pain or ache in the head) · mi pāhoahoa (pain or ache in the head) · is hausverkur (pain or ache in the head) · fr mal de tête (pain or ache in the head) · mg aretin'andoha (pain or ache in the head) · acw صُداع (pain or ache in the head) · ta தலைவலி (pain or ache in the head) · sq dhembje koke (pain or ache in the head) · si හිසරදය (pain or ache in the head) · pau bingsbedul (pain or ache in the head) · la cephalalgia (pain or ache in the head) · lv galvassāpes (pain or ache in the head) · pam sakit buntuk (pain or ache in the head) · pt dor de cabeça (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · es cefalea (pain or ache in the head) · el βάσανο (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · nn hovudverk (pain or ache in the head) · te తలనొప్పి (pain or ache in the head) · id sakit kepala (pain or ache in the head) · hy գլխացավանք (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · ko 두통 (pain or ache in the head) · lt galvos skausmas (pain or ache in the head) · et peavalu (pain or ache in the head) · kmr serêşî (pain or ache in the head) · eu buruko min (pain or ache in the head) · be галаўны́ боль (pain or ache in the head) · ro bătaie de cap (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · fo høvuðverkur (pain or ache in the head) · my ခေါင်းကိုက်ခြင်း (pain or ache in the head) · yua k'iinam (pain or ache in the head) · ryu 頭病ん (pain or ache in the head) · de Kopfschmerzen (pain or ache in the head) · mr डोकेदुखी (pain or ache in the head) · mr डोकेदुखी (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · hu bosszúság (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · fr casse-tête (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · ckb سەرێشە (pain or ache in the head) · ru головна́я боль (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · ne टाउको दुखाइ (pain or ache in the head) · hi सरदर्द (pain or ache in the head) · mk главоболка (pain or ache in the head) · he כאב ראש (pain or ache in the head) · tl sakit ng ulo (pain or ache in the head) · qu uma nanay (pain or ache in the head) · zu ubuhlungu bekhanda (pain or ache in the head) · kk бас ауруы (pain or ache in the head) · cmn 頭疼 /头疼 (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · mi mōngurunguru (pain or ache in the head) · es cefalalgia (pain or ache in the head) · sah төбө ыарыыта (pain or ache in the head) · is höfuðverkur (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · ca mal de cap (pain or ache in the head) · tl sakit ng ulo (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · es quebradero capital (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · fi päänsärky (pain or ache in the head) · de Kopfschmerz (pain or ache in the head) · uk головни́й біль (pain or ache in the head) · ovd sårskollan (pain or ache in the head) · da hovedpine (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · fi päänsärky (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · es dolor capital (pain or ache in the head) · cmn 頭疼 /头疼 (pain or ache in the head) · myv прясэредькс (pain or ache in the head) · ga tinneas cinn (pain or ache in the head) · ky баш оору (pain or ache in the head) · cs cefalea (pain or ache in the head) · lb Kappwéi (pain or ache in the head) · vo kapadol (pain or ache in the head) · cy pen tost (pain or ache in the head) · km ឈឺក្បាល (pain or ache in the head) · ta தலைவலி (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · as মূৰৰ বিষ (pain or ache in the head) · es dolor de cabeza (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · yue 頭痛 /头痛 (pain or ache in the head) · nl kopzorg (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · mt uġigħ ta’ ras (pain or ache in the head) · io kapodoloro (pain or ache in the head) · hu nyűg (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · vi chứng nhức đầu (pain or ache in the head) · ota بیضه (pain or ache in the head) · ja 頭痛 (pain or ache in the head) · cs cefalgie (pain or ache in the head) · ro durere de cap (pain or ache in the head) · gl dor de cabeza (pain or ache in the head) · nan-hbl 頭疼 /头疼 (pain or ache in the head) · ru головна́я боль (pain or ache in the head) · hy գլխացավ (pain or ache in the head) · cy cur pen (pain or ache in the head) · tr baş ağrısı (pain or ache in the head) · it mal di testa (pain or ache in the head) · nl hoofdbreker (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · uz bosh ogʻrigʻi (pain or ache in the head) · ota باش آغریسی (pain or ache in the head) · sv huvudvärk (pain or ache in the head) · fi päänvaiva (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · gv kione-ching (pain or ache in the head) · is höfuðverkur (pain or ache in the head) · mn толгойн өвчин (pain or ache in the head) · pt enxaqueca (pain or ache in the head) · sv huvudvärk (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · wyi lalenin gawang (pain or ache in the head) · id pusing (pain or ache in the head) · sq kokëçarje (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · gu માથાનો દુખાવો (pain or ache in the head) · nl koppijn (pain or ache in the head) · cmn 頭痛 /头痛 (pain or ache in the head) · zu ikhanda (pain or ache in the head) · eo kapdoloro (pain or ache in the head) · pl ból głowy (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · de Kopfweh (pain or ache in the head) · ty hoa (pain or ache in the head) · hu gond (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · af hoofpyn (pain or ache in the head) · ar صُدَاع (pain or ache in the head) · sh главо̀боља (pain or ache in the head) · da hovedpine (pain or ache in the head) · mi ngāhoahoa (pain or ache in the head) · th ปวดหัว (pain or ache in the head) · ur سِر دَرْد (pain or ache in the head) · os сӕрниз (pain or ache in the head) · ang hēafodeċe (pain or ache in the head) · ru неприя́тность (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · nrf ma d'tête (pain or ache in the head) · gsw Chopfwee (pain or ache in the head) · ro pacoste (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · es dolor de cabeza (pain or ache in the head) · scn mali di testa (pain or ache in the head) · az baş ağrısı (pain or ache in the head) · yi קאָפּווייטיק (pain or ache in the head) · bg главобо́лие (pain or ache in the head) · bg неприя́тност (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · es quebradero de cabeza (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · fo høvuðpína (pain or ache in the head) · es neuralgia (pain or ache in the head) · om mataa bowwuu (pain or ache in the head) · tt баш авырту (pain or ache in the head) · hu fejfájás (pain or ache in the head) · nb hodepine (pain or ache in the head) · de Kopfschmerzen (nuisance or unpleasant problem) · nl hoofdpijn (pain or ache in the head) · ur سَر دَرْد (pain or ache in the head) · sh glavòbolja (pain or ache in the head) · el πονοκέφαλος (pain or ache in the head)

wikidata: Q86