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headman

[hed-muh n, -man]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR headman ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural head·men [hed-muh n, -men] /ˈhɛd mən, -ˌmɛn/.

a chief or leader.

Origin of headman

before 1000; Middle English he(ve)dman, Old English hēafodman. See head, man¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for headman

bigwig, boss, head, ruler, leader, director, master, captain

Examples from the Web for headman

Historical Examples of headman

More and more stretches the distance between the bwana and his headman.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
Then, as the headman hurried up: "Get me the box of medicines, quick!"
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
The headman, they insisted everywhere, must accept as a present whatever he liked to have.
Anabasis
Xenophon
So for the present Xenophon went off, taking the headman back with him to his household and friends.
Anabasis
Xenophon
All attempts of the headman and elders to restrain him were useless.
The Soul of a People
H. Fielding

British Dictionary definitions for headman

headman

noun plural -men

anthropol a chief or leader

a foreman or overseer

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

Word Origin and History for headman

n.

"chief man, leader," Old English heafodman; see head (adj.) + man (n.). Cognate with German Hauptmann "captain."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper