(ˈ)ā|sefələs, əˈs- adjective
Etymology: Greek akephalos, from a- a- (II) + kephalē head — more at cephalic
1.
a. : having no head or headlike structure
b. : lacking a distinct head (as in lamellibranch mollusks or amphioxus) or having the head reduced and retracted into the thorax (as in certain larval diptera)
2. : having no governing head or chief
an acephalous village
3. : lacking an expected initial element ; specifically : having the first foot in a line of verse abbreviated or missing — compare truncation
4. botany : having the style issuing from the base instead of from the apex of the ovary