Headword

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /ˈhÉ›dwɜːd/
• GenAm IPA: /ˈhÉ›dwɝd/

Origin

From head + word. Compare West Frisian haadwurd ("noun, substantive, headword"), Dutch hoofdwoord ("headword"), German Hauptwort ("noun, substantive, headword"), Swedish huvudord ("headword, keyword").

Full definition of headword

Noun

1. a word used as the title of a section, particularly in a dictionary, encyclopedia, or thesaurus
2. (grammar) any word which may be modified by an adjunctIn "a very discerning car shopper", "shopper" is the headword.

Synonyms

• (grammar) head