head

head
\ \ [OE] The word head can be traced back ultimately to Indo-European *kauput-, *kaupet-, which probably had connotations of ‘bowl’ (as in ‘skull’) as well as ‘head’, although which came first is not clear. From it was descended prehistoric Germanic *khaubutham, *khaubitham, which produced German haupt, Dutch hoofd, Swedish huvud, and English head.
\ \ A variant of the Indo-European ancestor, *kaput-, seems to have been responsible for the Latin word for ‘head’, caput (source of a wide range of English words, including capillary, capital, captain, and chief), and also for Sanskrit kapucchala- ‘hair at the back of the head’ and Danish hovedhead’. And a further related form, *keup-, produced English hive, Latin cūpabarrel’, and medieval Latin cuppa (source of English cup and German kopfhead’).
\ \ Cf.CAPITAL, CAPTAIN, CHIEF, CUP

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Head — (h[e^]d), n. [OE. hed, heved, heaved, AS. he[ a]fod; akin to D. hoofd, OHG. houbit, G. haupt, Icel. h[ o]fu[eth], Sw. hufvud, Dan. hoved, Goth. haubi[thorn]. The word does not correspond regularly to L. caput head (cf. E. {Chief}, {Cadet},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • head — [hed] n. [ME hede, heved < OE heafod, akin to Ger haupt (OHG houbit, Goth haubith) < IE base * kaput (orig. prob. cup shaped) > L caput: merged in Gmc with word akin to OHG hūba, a cap, crest (Ger haube) < IE base * keu , to bend,… …   English World dictionary

  • head — ► NOUN 1) the upper part of the human body, or the front or upper part of the body of an animal, containing the brain, mouth, and sense organs. 2) a person in charge; a director or leader. 3) the front, forward, or upper part or end of something …   English terms dictionary

  • Head — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Anthony Head (* 1954), englischer Schauspieler Antony Head, 1. Viscount Head (1906–1983), britischer Brigadegeneral der British Army sowie Politiker der Conservative Party Barclay V. Head (1844–1914),… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Head — (h[e^]d), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Headed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Heading}.] 1. To be at the head of; to put one s self at the head of; to lead; to direct; to act as leader to; as, to head an army, an expedition, or a riot. Dryden. [1913 Webster] 2. To… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Head On — may refer to: * Head on collision, a type of vehicular collision. * Head On (album), a 1975 album by Bachman Turner Overdrive * Head On , a song originally recorded by The Jesus and Mary Chain and covered by the Pixies * Head On Memories of the… …   Wikipedia

  • head-on — adv 1.) crash/collide/smash etc head on if two vehicles crash etc head on, the front part of one vehicle hits the front part of the other 2.) if someone deals with a problem head on, they do not try to avoid it, but deal with it in a direct and… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • head-on — adj. 1. characterized by direct opposition; as, a head on confrontation. Syn: head to head. [WordNet 1.5] 2. Without evasion or compromise; as, his usual head on fashion; to meet a problem head on. Syn: downright, flat footed, forthright,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • head — [adj] most important; chief arch, champion, first, foremost, front, highest, leading, main, pioneer, preeminent, premier, prime, principal, stellar, supreme, topmost; concepts 568,574 Ant. auxiliary, inferior, lower, second, secondary, trivial,… …   New thesaurus

  • Head On — Entwickler Sega/Gremlin Publisher …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • head-on — head on1 or ,head on adverb 1. ) if two vehicles crash head on, the front of one vehicle hits the front of the other 2. ) if you deal with a problem head on, you deal with it in a very direct way head on ,head on 2 adjective a head on crash is… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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