blackhead

[ blak-hed ]
See synonyms for: blackheadblackheads on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a small, black-tipped, fatty mass in a skin follicle, especially of the face; comedo.

  2. any of several birds having a head that is black, as the greater scaup, Aythya marila.

  1. Also called enterohepatitis. Veterinary Pathology. a malignant, infectious disease of turkeys, chickens, and many wild birds, caused by a protozoan parasite, Histomonas meleagridas, attacking especially the intestines and liver, and often characterized by a darkening of the skin on the head.

Origin of blackhead

1
First recorded in 1650–60; black + head

Words Nearby blackhead

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use blackhead in a sentence

  • It is curious to note that the German variety is called the Schwartzkopf, the meaning of which is "blackhead."

  • The presence of a disease called blackhead has done vast injury to the turkey industry in the northeastern section of the country.

    The Dollar Hen | Milo M. Hastings
  • I certainly would advise any farm wife, in sections where blackhead does not prevail, to try her hand at turkey raising.

    The Dollar Hen | Milo M. Hastings
  • The summons was promptly obeyed, and the accused prelate was brought face to face with blackhead before the Council.

  • He selected a wretch named blackhead, who had formerly been convicted of perjury and sentenced to have his ears clipped.

British Dictionary definitions for blackhead

blackhead

/ (ˈblækˌhɛd) /


noun
  1. a black-tipped plug of fatty matter clogging a pore of the skin, esp the duct of a sebaceous gland: Technical name: comedo

  2. an infectious and often fatal disease of turkeys and some other fowl caused by the parasitic protozoa Histomonas meleagridis: Technical name: infectious enterohepatitis

  1. any of various birds, esp gulls or ducks, with black plumage on the head

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012