bighead

American  

[big-hed, -hed] / ˈbɪgˈhɛd, -ˌhɛd /

noun

• bigheads
  plural

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

2. Veterinary Pathology.

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

   2. enlargement of the head 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

Derived Forms

• bigheadedness
  noun
• bigheaded
  adjective
• bigheadedly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bigheads
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bighead

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bighead bigheads

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

It’s an abbreviated wordplay on “copious” — a reference to the booming populations of bighead, silver, grass and black carp in the U.S. heartland.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 22, 2022

Fish and Wildlife Service, and other partners came back from water sampling trips on the Chicago waterways with a record high number of positive DNA hits for silver 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

On some farms and in some stables bighead is quite prevalent, a number of cases following one after another.

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

Carp are voracious eaters — adult bigheads and silvers can consume up to 40% of their body weight in a day — and easily out-compete native species, wreaking havoc on aquatic ecosystems.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 4, 2023

The carp are voracious eaters — adult bigheads and silvers can consume up to 40% of their bodyweight in a day — and easily out-compete native species, wreaking havoc on aquatic ecosystems.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 18, 2023

This is a song for all you bigheads out there who think that disco music is lower than the irrelevant musical gibberish and tired platitudes that you try to impress your parents with.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 18, 2010

The bigheads learn best, but they're slow swimmers.

From A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay