head

[[t]hɛd[/t]]

n.

1) anat. the anterior or upper part of the vertebrate body, containing the skull with mouth, eyes, ears, nose, and brain

2) zool. the corresponding part of the body in invertebrates

3) the head considered as the center of the intellect; mind; brain:

a good head for mathematics[/ex]

4) the position or place of leadership, greatest authority, or honor

5) a person to whom others are subordinate, as the director of an institution; leader or chief

6) a person considered with reference to his or her mind, attributes, status, etc.:

wise heads; crowned heads[/ex]

7) the part of anything that forms or is regarded as forming the top or upper end:

head of a pin; head of a page[/ex]

8) the foremost part or front end of something or a forward projecting part:

head of a procession[/ex]

9) the part of a weapon, tool, etc., used for striking:

the head of a hammer[/ex]

10) a person or animal considered as one of a number, herd, or group:

a dinner at $20 a head; ten head of cattle[/ex]

11) spo the approximate length of a horse's head, as indicating a margin of victory in a race

12) a culminating point, usu. of a critical nature; crisis or climax:

to bring matters to a head[/ex]

13) froth or foam at the top of a liquid:

the head on beer[/ex]

14) bot

a) any dense flower cluster or inflorescence

b) bot any other compact part of a plant, usu. at the top of the stem, as that composed of leaves in the cabbage

15) pat the maturated part of an abscess, boil, etc

16) geo a projecting point of a coast, esp. when high, as a cape, headland, or promontory

17) num

Also, heads the obverse of a coin, as bearing a head or other principal figure(opposed to tail).

18) rht one of the chief parts or points of a written or oral discourse

19) something resembling a head in form or a representation of a head, as a piece of sculpture

20) the source of a river or stream

21) cvb pha sts Slang.

a) a habitual user of an illicit drug (often used in combination):

an acid-head; a pothead[/ex]

b) a fan or devotee (usu. used in combination):

a punk-rock head; a chili head[/ex]

22) vin heads, alcohol produced during the initial fermentation

23) jou

headline

24) a toilet or lavatory, esp. on a boat or ship

25) naut. navig.

a) the forepart of a vessel; bow

b) the upper edge of a quadrilateral sail

c) the upper corner of a jib-headed sail

26) gram. Gram.

a) gram. the member of an endocentric construction that can play the same grammatical role as the construction itself

b) the member of a construction upon which another member depends and to which it is subordinate

27) mad the stretched membrane covering the end of a drum or similar musical instrument

28) min a level or road driven into solid coal for proving or working a mine

29) mac any of various devices on machine tools for holding, moving, indexing, or changing tools or work, as the headstock or turret of a lathe

30) hyd (loosely) the pressure exerted by confined fluid:

a head of steam[/ex]

31) hyd

a) the vertical distance between two points in a liquid, as water, or some other fluid

b) the pressure differential resulting from this separation, expressed in terms of the vertical distance between the points

32) hfi any of the parts of a tape recorder that record, play back, or erase magnetic signals on audiotape or videotape

33) first in rank or position; chief; leading; principal:

a head official[/ex]

34) of or for the head (often used in combination):

head covering; headgear[/ex]

35) situated at the top, front, or head of anything (often used in combination):

headline; headboard[/ex]

36) naut. navig. moving or coming from a direction in front, as of a vessel:

head tide[/ex]

37) cvb sts Slang. of or pertaining to drugs, drug paraphernalia, or drug users

38) to go at the head of or in front of; lead:

to head a list[/ex]

39) to outdo or excel:

to head one's competitors in a field[/ex]

40) cvb to be the head or chief of (sometimes fol. by up):

to head a school[/ex]

41) to direct the course of; turn the head or front of in a specified direction:

I'll head the boat for the shore[/ex]

42) to go around the head of (a stream)

43) to furnish or fit with a head

44) to take the head off; decapitate; behead

45) to get in front of in order to stop, turn aside, attack, etc

46) headline 4)

47) spo to propel (a soccer ball) by striking it with the head, esp. with the forehead

48) to move forward toward a point specified; go in a certain direction:

to head toward town[/ex]

49) to form a head:

Cabbage heads quickly[/ex]

50) (of a river or stream) to have the head or source where specified

51) phv head off, to hinder the progress of; intercept

•

- come to a head get one's head together give someone his or her head go to one's head hang or hide one's head head and shoulders head over heels head to head keep one's head lay or put heads together lose one's head make head(s) or tail(s) of make heads roll on one's head out of one's head or mind over one's head turn someone's head

Etymology: bef. 900; ME he(v)ed, OE hēafod, c. OShōbid, OHG houbit, ONhaufuth; akin to ON hǫfoth, L caput