From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A headword (or head word) is the word under
which a set of related
dictionary definitions will be listed. This is the word that
will be used to locate the entry, and which dictates its
alphabetical position within the dictionary. Depending on the
size and nature of the dictionary, these definitions may include
alternative meanings of the word, its
etymology and
pronunciation,
compound words or phrases that contain the headword and any
other related information deemed useful by the authors.
For example the headword
bread
may contain the following (simplified) definitions:
- Bread
- (noun)
- A common food made from the combination of
flour,
water and
yeast
- Money (slang)
- (verb)
- to know which side your bread is buttered to
know how to act in your own best interests.
The
Oxford English Dictionary has around 300,000 headwords
[1], while
Merriam-Webster's Third New International Dictionary has
about 470,000
[2]. Both of these values are as claimed by the dictionary
makers, and may not be using exactly the same definition of a
headword. Note that the Oxford English Dictionary covers each
word much more exhaustively than the Third New International.
Some Oxford dictionaries use the term "catchword"
instead.
See also