headman

[hed-muhn, -man]

noun

plural

headmen 

1. a chief or leader.

2. headsman.

headman

/ ˈhɛdmən /

noun

1. anthropol a chief or leader

2. a foreman or overseer

Word History and Origins

Origin of headman¹

before 1000; Middle English he ( ve ) dman, Old English hēafodman. See head, man

Example Sentences

Heimonmi Shylla, headman of the hamlet with about 500 households and a deacon, says almost all residents are Presbyterian, Catholic or members of the Church of God.

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The village headman summoned her and said that by garlanding Nehru, she had become his bride.

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In 2016, a village headman who also doubled up as a driver, was taking around a team of University of Kerala archaeology students when he showed them the site.

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As Hinfelaar writes, however, some chiefs and village headmen profit from selling land used by the community to international investors, “and fomenting social disruption in the villages facilitates such transactions.”

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Some threaten to break our vehicle as we try to enter one of the villages - Ghatbarra - to speak to its headman.

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Related Words

• bigwig 
• boss 
• tribal chief www.thesaurus.com