headman
Americannoun
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anthropol a chief or leader
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a foreman or overseer
Etymology
Origin of headman
before 1000; Middle English he ( ve ) dman, Old English hēafodman. See head, man
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.
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 • Jan. 17, 2024
The village headman summoned her and said that by garlanding Nehru, she had become his bride.
From BBC • Dec. 13, 2023
The village is deemed "at risk" by Fiji's government and headman Josevata Nagausaukula contemplates a future in which children now honing their rugby skills have been shifted, with their families, to higher ground inland.
From Reuters • Jul. 25, 2022
One of the members, Ram Prasad, a former village headman from an upper caste, said the initiative would break the taboo associated with the act.
From Washington Post • Feb. 21, 2022
“You must speak to him with respect,” the headman said quietly.
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
