bighead

American  

[big-hed, -hed] / ˈbɪgˈhɛd, -ˌhɛd /

noun

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

• bigheaded adjective
• bigheadedly adverb
• bigheadedness noun

Etymology

Origin of bighead

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

Example Sentences

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

Scientists' greatest concern for the Great Lakes is bighead and silver carp, both of which were imported from Asia for aquaculture but escaped into the Mississippi River system during floods and through accidental releases.

From Scientific American • Jul. 8, 2020

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

He and his colleagues modeled levels of food availability and water temperatures to estimate the well-being of bighead and silver carp when eating mixtures of plankton and non-living organic material, or “detritus,” at different depths.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 12, 2019

It is particularly manifest in the bones of the head, causing enlargement and bulging of the face and jaws, thereby giving rise to the terms "bighead" and "swelled head," which are applied to it.

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