headword
UK /ˈhɛdwɜːd/ · US /ˈhɛdwɝd/ noun
Forms headwords head word
- noun A word (or compound term) used as the title of a list entry or section, particularly in a dictionary, encyclopedia, or thesaurus.
- noun (grammar) The head of a phrase. “In "a very discerning car shopper", "shopper" is the headword.”
Synonyms
head word
Etymology
From head + word. Compare West Frisian haadwurd (“noun, substantive, headword”), Dutch hoofdwoord (“headword”), German Hauptwort (“noun, substantive, headword”), Swedish huvudord (“headword, keyword”).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “headword”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details