headword
C1Academic, Lexicographical
Definition
Meaning
The word that appears at the beginning of a dictionary entry and is defined.
A key term or concept that serves as the main focus of a section, chapter, or indexing system.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily used in contexts related to dictionaries, glossaries, reference works, and academic indexing. In corpus linguistics, can refer to the main form under which variants are grouped.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage. The concept is identical in both lexicographical traditions.
Connotations
Neutral, technical. Associated with scholarly research, publishing, and language study.
Frequency
Equally low-frequency in general language but standard within its specific domain.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
The headword is followed byThe dictionary lists X as a headwordto look up the headword forVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None specific to this term.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Might be used in the context of creating a company glossary or technical manual.
Academic
Common in linguistics, lexicography, library science, and any field discussing terminology or reference systems.
Everyday
Very rare. Most non-specialists would simply say 'the word in bold' or 'the dictionary word'.
Technical
The standard term in dictionary-making, corpus linguistics, and information science for the primary form being defined or analysed.
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- The headword is printed in bold for easy reference.
- You must identify the correct inflection to find the headword.
American English
- The headword determines the alphabetical order of the entry.
- Our style guide requires all headwords to be lemmatised.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- 'Cat' is the headword for entries about cats, kittens, and catty.
- Advanced learners should practice finding the base form headword for irregular verbs.
- The corpus software generated a frequency list based on headwords.
- The lexicographer debated whether 'climate change' should be treated as a single headword or a compound.
- In this thesaurus, synonyms are grouped under a conceptual headword rather than an alphabetical one.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a dictionary page: the HEAD of the entry is the bold HEADWORD.
Conceptual Metaphor
A HEADWORD is the LEADER or CHIEF of a word family.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating as 'заголовок' (heading/title) in this context. The closer equivalent is 'заглавное слово' or 'вокабула'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'headword' to mean any important word in a text (incorrect).
- Confusing 'headword' with 'header' or 'heading' in computing.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the term 'headword' most appropriately used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
In many contexts, yes. In strict lexicography, a 'lemma' is the canonical form used to represent a word family (e.g., 'run' for 'run, runs, running, ran'), and this is typically what serves as the headword in a dictionary.
Yes. Dictionaries often have headwords that are multi-word units, such as 'prime minister', 'kick the bucket', or 'climate change'. These are sometimes called 'phrasal headwords' or 'compound headwords'.
Virtually all alphabetical reference works (dictionaries, glossaries, indices) use a headword system. Some thematic or picture dictionaries may not, organising information by topic instead.
A headword is the word being defined within an entry. A guide word (or running head) is usually found at the top of a dictionary page and shows the first and last headwords on that page to aid navigation.