I. ˈhed noun
( -s ; see sense 6b )
Etymology: Middle English heved, hed, from Old English hēafod; akin to Old High German houbit head, Old Norse höfuth, Gothic haubith, Latin caput head, Sanskrit kapuc chala hair at the back of the head
1. : the division of the human body that contains the brain, the eyes, the ears, the nose, and the mouth ; also : the corresponding anterior division of the body of various animals including all vertebrates, most arthropods, and many mollusks and worms
2.
a. : the seat of the intellect : the place where thought and inspiration originate : understanding , mind
two heads are better than one
he has some queer notions in his head
b. : a person with respect to certain mental qualities
let wiser heads prevail
c. : natural aptitude or talent
a good head for figures
d. : mental or emotional control : poise
can keep his head in a crisis
level head
a situation calling for a cool head
e. : headache
it didn't give you a head like beer — R.O.Bowen
f. : the mouth as the organ of speech
he'd better keep his head shut about this
3.
a. : the hair on a head
b. : the hair as a head covering : coiffure , headdress
4.
a. : a sculptured representation of a head
a bronze head of Lincoln
b. : the obverse of a coin — compare head or tail
5. : the antlers of a deer
6.
a. : each one among a number : individual
count heads
a cost of $5 per head
b. plural head : a unit of number (as of domestic animals)
a thousand head of cattle
c. Britain : a herd or aggregation of game animals
7.
a. : an end of something regarded as the upper or higher end
head of a valley
head of a slope
head of a staircase
or as being the part most distant from an entrance
head of a bay
or as being opposite the foot
head of a bed
head of a grave
seated at the head of the table
b. : the source or beginning especially of a stream
the head of the Nile
the head of navigation
— compare fountainhead
c. : either end of something (as a bridge, cask, or drum) whose two ends may not or need not be distinguished
d. : an underground passage or level in a coal mine
e. : a position or direction of the set of parallel planes in a massive crystalline rock along which fracture is most difficult, being normal to the direction of strongest cohesion
f. : a round or inning played from one end of a course to the other in certain games (as bowls and curling)
8. : one who stands in relation to others somewhat as the head does to the other members of the body : director , chief : as
a. : headmaster
b. : one in charge of a division or department in an office or institution ; especially : one in charge of a department in a school, college, or university
c. : an officer in charge of a hall or college (as at Oxford or Cambridge)
9.
a. : capitulum 3b
b. : the top or foliaged part of a plant consisting of a compacted mass of leaves
head of lettuce
head of a tree
or close fructification
head of grain
c. : a bunch or hank of flax, hemp, or jute packed for marketing
10. : headland , promontory , cape — now used chiefly in place names
11.
a. : the leading element of a military column or a procession
b. : the leader or the leading position in dancing
c. : the hottest and most active portion of an advancing forest fire or grass fire
d. : freedom to proceed on one's course or to have one's way — used chiefly in the phrases give one his head and let one have his head
e. : headway
often she had to fight for her head as the press of sail buried her bow — C.V.Reilly
12. : the uppermost extremity or projecting part of an object : top
head of a cane
head of a bolt
head of a mast
head of a doorway
as
a. : the striking part of a weapon (as an arrow, spear, ax) or tool (as a hammer, hatchet, ram)
b. : the striking end of a racket, club, stick, or paddle — see golf illustration
c. : the point of a violin bow — see bow illustration
d. of a bowed instrument : the pegbox and scroll
e. : head joint 1
f. : the rounded proximal end of a long bone (as the humerus)
g. : the end of a muscle nearest the origin
h. : the anterior end of an invertebrate : scolex
i. : the end of a cigar that is placed in the mouth
j. : a protective covering for the ends of roll paper
k. : the oval part of a printed musical note
13.
a. : a body of water kept in reserve at a height (as for a mill or in a reservoir) ; also : the containing bank, dam, or wall
b. : a mass of water in motion (as in a rip current)
c. : a sudden rush of liquid (as water through an irrigation ditch or oil from a well)
d. : the flow of water used in irrigating a field
e. : unconsolidated earth material moved by solifluction — compare congeliturbate
14.
a. : the difference in elevation between two points in a body or column of fluid (as between the surface and a submerged orifice at which the fluid flows outward or when pumping into an elevated tank flows inward)
b. : the resulting pressure of the fluid at the lower point expressible as this height ; broadly : pressure of a fluid
an engine with a full head of steam
15. : the front or foremost part of something: as
a. : the bow and adjacent parts of a ship
brought her head into the wind
b. : a ship's toilet — compare beakhead 1b
c. : a portion of a hide in front of the flare of the shoulder — see hide illustration
d. : the approximate length of the head of a horse
won the race by a head
16. : the place of leadership or of honor or command : the most important or foremost position
at the head of his class
17.
a.
(1) : a word or words often in larger letters placed above or at the beginning of a passage of written or printed matter in order to introduce or categorize — called also heading, headline ; compare running head , shoulder head , sidehead
(2) : a separate part or topic of a discourse or writing : point
heads of a sermon
you may rest easy on that head
b. : a portion of a page or sheet that is above the first line of printing ; also : the corresponding blank part of an imposed form — compare page 1d
18.
a. : the topmost edge of a book standing upright — compare foot , tail ; binding edge , fore edge
b. : the upper edge of a sail — see sail illustration
19.
a. : the foam or scum rising on a fermenting or effervescing liquid
b. : the cream that rises on standing milk
c. heads plural : the first runnings
d. heads plural : crude ore fed to a concentrating plant — compare concentrate , middling , tailing
20.
a. : the part of a boil, pimple, or abscess at which it is likely to break
b. : culminating point of action or of tension : crisis , climax , issue
c. archaic : a gathered force (as in rebellion)
to save our heads by raising of a head — Shakespeare
21.
a. : a cover for an alembic or other distilling apparatus — see alembic illustration
b. : the hood of a carriage
c. Britain : the top of an automobile
22.
a. or head metal : an extra piece of metal on a foundry casting made by filling up a riser after the mold is full in order to supply loss from shrinkage and to permit slag or dross and unsound metal to rise clear of the casting
b. : a riser filled in in this manner
c. : a part of a railroad rail supported by a web and base that guides and provides a running surface for the flanged wheels of cars and locomotives — see t rail illustration
23. : a part or attachment of an apparatus, machine, or machine tool containing a device (as a cutter, grinder, polisher, drill) for acting mechanically on something
turret head of a lathe
milling head
sheep-shearing head
safety- head centrifuge
also : the part of an apparatus that performs the chief function
the head of a photographic enlarging camera
a shower head
a sprinkler head
welding head
24.
a. : cylinder head
b. : a movable mount for attaching a camera to a tripod or other support
c. : a device used in recording sound for converting electrical signals into the recorded form, for converting the recorded form into electrical signals, or for removing recorded material from a record — see erase head , magnetic head , recording head , reproducing head
25. : an immediate constituent of an endocentric compound or construction having the same grammatical function as the whole (as the terms polite old man, old man, and man in “a polite old man”)
•
- by the head
- off one's head
- out of one's head
- over one's head
II. adjective
Etymology: Middle English heved, hed, from heved, hed, n.
1. : of, relating to, or for a head or the head
2. : principal , chief , leading , first
head chorister
head cook
3. : situated at the head
head wall
head sails
4. : coming from in front : meeting the head as it is moved forward
head sea
head tide
III. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English hedden, from hed, n.
transitive verb
1. : behead
2.
a. : to lop off the top branches of : poll
head a tree
b. : to cut back (the shoots of plants) to induce branching or check growth — often used with in or back
c. : to harvest (a crop) by cutting off the heads
3.
a. : to put a head on : fit a head to
head an arrow
head a bolt
head a cask
b. : to form the head or top of
the church tower was headed by a spire
4. : to put oneself at the head of : act as leader to
head an expedition
head a revolt
5.
a. : to face or oppose head on
head the waves
heading the driving rain
b. : to get in front of so as to hinder, stop, or turn back
head a herd of cattle
c. : to take a lead over (as in a race) : surpass
d. : to pass (a stream) by going round above the source
6.
a. : to put something at the head of (as a list) : furnish with a heading
each page was headed with the writer's name and the date
b. : to stand as the first or leading member of
heads the list of local war heroes
headed his class all through school
7. : to set the course or direct the progress of
head a ship northward
head a horse toward home
8. : to drive or direct (as a soccer ball) by hitting with the head
intransitive verb
1. : to form a head
this cabbage heads early
the pimple headed
2. : to point or proceed in a certain direction
how does she head , helmsman
the fleet was heading out
the dog headed for the woods
the business seemed to be heading for trouble
3.
a. : to have a source : originate , rise
the more important rivers … head in the Rocky mountains or their foothills — Scientific Monthly
b. : to flow intermittently (as oil from a well)
IV. noun
1.
[short for pothead (herein) or acidhead (herein)]
: one who uses a drug (as LSD or marijuana)
2. : fellatio : cunnilingus — usually used with give ; often considered vulgar
3. : a devoted enthusiast : aficionado — often used in combination
•
- on its head