head

HEAD, n. hed.

1. The uppermost part of the human body, or the foremost part of the body of prone and creeping animals. This part of the human body contains the organs of hearing, seeing, tasting and smelling; it contains also the brain, which is supposed to be the seat of the intellectual powers, and of sensation. Hence the head is the chief or more important part, and is used for the whole person, in the phrase, let the evil fall on my head.

2. An animal; an individual; as,the tax was raised by a certain rate per head. And we use the singular number to express many. The herd contains twenty head of oxen.

Thirty thousand head of swine.

3. A chief; a principal person; a leader; a commander; one who has the first rank or place,and to whom others are subordinate; as the head of an army; the head of a sect or party. Eph.5.

4. The first place; the place of honor, or of command. The lord mayor sat at the head of the table. The general marched at the head of his troops.

5. Countenance; presence; in the phrases, to hide the head, to show the head.

6. Understanding; faculties of the mind; sometimes in a ludicrous sense; as, a man has a good head, or a strong head. These men laid their heads together to form the scheme. Never trouble your head about this affair. So we say, to beat the head; to break the head; that is, to study hard, to exercise the understanding or mental faculties.

7. Face; front; forepart.

The ravishers turn head, the fight renews. [Unusual.]

8. Resistance; successful opposition; in the phrase, to make head against, that is, to advance, or resist with success.

9. Spontaneous will or resolution; in the phrases, of his own head, on their own head. But of is more usual than on.

10. State of a deer's horns by which his age is known. The buck is called, the fifth year, a buck of the first head.

11. The top of a thing, especially when larger than the rest of the thing; as the head of a spear; the head of a cabbage; the head of a nail; the head of a mast.

12. The forepart of a thing, as the head of a ship, which includes the bows on both sides; also,the ornamental figure or image erected on or before the stem of a ship.

13. The blade or cutting part of an ax, distinct from the helve.

14. That which rises on the top; as the head or yeast of beer.

15. The upper part of a bed, or bed-stead.

16. The brain.

They turn their heads to imitate the sun.

17. The dress of the head; as a laced head. [Unusual.]

18. The principal source of a stream; as the head of the Nile.

19. Altitude of water in ponds, as applicable to the driving of mill-wheels. The mill has a good head of water.

20. Topic of discourse; chief point or subject; a summary; as the heads of a discourse or treatise.

21. Crisis; pitch; highth. The disease has grown to such a head as to threaten life.

22. Influence; force; strength; pitch. The sedition got to such a head as not to be easily quelled.

23. Body; conflux.

24. Power; armed force.

My lord, my lord, the French have gathered head.

25. Liberty; freedom from restrain; as, to give a horse the head. Hence,

26. License; freedom from check, control or restraint.

Children should not have their heads.

He has too long given his unruly passions the head.

27. The hair of the head; as a head of hair.

28. The top of corn or other plant; the part on which the seed grows.

29. The end, or the boards that form the end; as the head of a cask.

30. The part most remote from the mouth or opening into the sea; as the head of a bay, gulf or creek.

31. The maturated part of an ulcer or boil; hence, to come to a head, is to suppurate.

Head and ears, a phrase denoting the whole person, especially when referring to immersion. He plunged head and ears into the water. He was head and ears in debt, that is, completely overwhelmed.

Head and shoulders, by force; violently; as, to drag one head and shoulders.

They bring in every figure of speech, head and shoulders.

Head or tail, or head nor tail, uncertain; not reducible to certainty.

Head, as an adj. or in composition, chief; principal; as a head workman.

By the head, in seamen's language, denotes the state of a ship laden too deeply at the fore-end.

HEAD, v.t. hed. To lead; to direct; to act as leader to; as, to head an army; to head an expedition; to head a riot.

1. To behead; to decapitate. [Unusual.]

2. To form a head to; to fit or furnish with a head; as, to head a nail.

3. To lop; as, to head trees.

4. To go in front of; to get into the front; as, to head a drove of cattle.

5. To set on the head; as, to head a cask.

6. To oppose; to veer round and blow in opposition to the course of a ship;as, the wind heads us.