headword
noun
a word, phrase, or the like, appearing as the heading of a chapter, dictionary or encyclopedia entry, etc.
headwords
-
pluralof headword.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
Ghost words have nothing to do with otherworldly apparitions, but they're enough to scare the headwords off lexicographers.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2021
In 1928, the finished dictionary was eventually published: some 414,800 headwords and phrases in 10 volumes, each with a definition, etymology and 1.8m quotations tracking usage over time.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 23, 2018
Since both headwords have a long vowel, the cross-reference was changed to match.
From A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary For the Use of Students by J. R. Clark (John R. Clark) Hall
Yogh is used in dictionary headwords; the others occur only in etymologies.
From A Concise Dictionary of Middle English From A.D. 1150 to 1580 by A. L. (Anthony Lawson) Mayhew
