bighead

American  

[big-hed, -hed] / ˈbɪgˈhɛd, -ˌhɛd /

noun

1. Informal. an excessive estimate of one's importance; conceit.

2. Veterinary Pathology.

   1. an inflammatory swelling of the tissues of the head heads of sheep, caused by the anaerobic bacillus Clostridium novyi.

   2. enlargement of the head heads and jawbones of horses resulting from nutritional hyperthyroidism.

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bighead British  

/ ˈbɪɡˌhɛd /

noun

1. informal a conceited person

2. informal conceit; egotism

3. vet science

   1. an abnormal bulging or increase in the size of an animal's skull, as from osteomalacia

   2. any of various diseases of sheep characterized by swelling of the head, esp any caused by infection with Clostridium bacteria

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Other Word Forms

• bigheaded adjective
• bigheadedly adverb
• bigheadedness noun

Etymology

Origin of bighead

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805; big ¹ + head

Example Sentences

Four different species are considered invasive carp: bighead, black, grass and silver.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 18, 2023

His medley of El Apagón and Después De La Playa was enhanced with pyrotechnics, dozens of dancers and a troop of cabezudos, the "bighead" puppets that march down the streets of San Juan every January.

From BBC • Feb. 5, 2023

The moniker includes four fish imported from China starting in the 1960s — grass carp, black carp, silver carp, and bighead carp.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2020

These new devices would be used in addition to commercial fishing efforts at the Brandon Road site that remove over one million pounds of bighead and silver carp annually.

From Scientific American • Sep. 20, 2017

It is particularly manifest in the bones of the head, causing enlargement and bulging of the face and jaws, thereby giving rise to the terms "bighead" and "swelled head," which are applied to it.

From Special Report on Diseases of the Horse by Michener, Charles B.