headman
Americannoun
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anthropol a chief or leader
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a foreman or overseer
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of headman
before 1000; Middle English he ( ve ) dman, Old English hēafodman. See head, man
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
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.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 17, 2024
The village headman summoned her and said that by garlanding Nehru, she had become his bride.
From BBC ● Dec. 13, 2023
Saltwater had destroyed the ability of the 150 residents to grow crops, taking away livelihoods and food security, says former village headman Sailosi Ramatu.
From Reuters ● Aug. 2, 2022
One of the members, Ram Prasad, a former village headman from an upper caste, said the initiative would break the taboo associated with the act.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 21, 2022
“Ah,” said the headman, “we have been waiting for you.”
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
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.”
From Scientific American ● May 31, 2023
Murmu’s father and her grandfather were village headmen in Baidaposi in Mayurbhanj district in Odisha.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 22, 2022
Local ardos, or Fulani traditional headmen, complained that police don’t take cases they file seriously.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 10, 2018
The two headmen sat down on a rope cot, exchanging compliments.
From New York Times ● Jan. 30, 2016
Letters advising these chiefs and headmen of a meeting were dispatched from the regent, and soon the Great Place became alive with important visitors and travelers from all over Thembuland.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
