headman

[ hed-muhn, -man ]

noun

, plural head·men [hed, -m, uh, n, -men].

1. a chief or leader.
2. headsman.

headman

/ ˈhɛdmən /

noun

1. anthropol a chief or leader
2. a foreman or overseer

Word History and Origins

Origin of headman¹

before 1000; Middle English he ( ve ) dman, Old English hēafodman. See head, man

Example Sentences

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

The village headman summoned her and said that by garlanding Nehru, she had become his bride.

From BBC

In 2016, a village headman who also doubled up as a driver, was taking around a team of University of Kerala archaeology students when he showed them the site.

From BBC

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

Some threaten to break our vehicle as we try to enter one of the villages - Ghatbarra - to speak to its headman.

From BBC

Related Words

• bigwig
• boss
• tribal chief