(hed) noun
1. The part of the body of an animal that contains the brain and the organs of special sense, the ears, eyes, mouth, and nose. ♦ Collateral adjective: cephalic.
2. Something having the shape or position of a head, or being in some way analogous to a head, as a barrel top.
3. The length of the head: taller by a head.
4. Mind; intelligence: He used his head.
5. Mental aptitude: a good head for mathematics.
6. Mental poise; self-possession: He kept his head.
7. A person: crowned heads; learned heads.
8. An individual or single entity, considered as a unit of counting: a price of two dollars a head. In this sense head may appear as a plural: six head of cattle.
9. The end regarded as the uppermost or higher part of something: the head of a valley, bed, table, etc.
10. The source, as of a river.
11. The fore or forward part of anything: the head of a column of troops.
12. The bow of a ship.
13. A headland; cape: chiefly in place names: Beachy Head.
14. A leader; chief; director.
15. The position or rank of a leader: the head of one's profession.
16. The top or summit of something: the head of the stairs; the head of a page.
17. The heading of a book, composition, chapter, etc.
18. The headlines of a single newspaper item.
19. A division of a subject, discourse, composition, or the like: He had little to say on that head.
20. Culmination: climax: to come to a head.
21. The maturated part of a boil or abscess before breaking.
22. Advance in the face of opposition: to make head against the storm.
23. A compact cluster of leaves or leaf stalks, as a head of cabbage, lettuce, or celery.
24. A rounded, compact bud, as a head of cauliflower.
25. A capitulum.
26. A cluster of cereal grain at the top of a stem.
27. The foam that rises to the surface of a fermenting liquid, as of beer or ale.
28. The measure of stored-up force or capacity, as of steam.
29. The height of a column or body of fluid above a certain point, considered as causing pressure: a head of water driving a turbine.
30. The striking or pounding part of a hammer, ax, golf club, etc.
31. The obverse of a coin.
32. Mining A heading.
33. Naut. A toilet.
34. The membrane stretched over a drum or tambourine.
35. The part of a violin, lute, etc., above the neck.
36. Gram. The part of an endocentric construction that functions in the same manner as the construction itself. In the man holding the flag, man is the head: also called head word.
37. Slang One who uses or is addicted to a drug. See synonyms under CHIEF, MASTER.
—v.t.
1. To be first or most prominent on: to head the list.
2. To be chief or leader of; command.
3. To furnish with a head.
4. To cut off the head or top of, as a person or tree.
5. To turn or direct the course of: to head a vessel toward shore.
6. To pass around the head of: to head a stream.
7. To excel; beat, as in sports.
8. In soccer, to bunt (the ball) with the head.
—v.i.
9. To move in a specified direction or toward a specified point.
10. To come to or form a head.
11. To originate; rise: said of rivers and streams.
—to head off To intercept the course of: We'll head him off at the pass.
—to head up Colloq. To be the leader or manager of; command. See synonyms under LEAD, PRECEDE.
—adjective
1. Principal; chief.
2. Situated at the top or front.
3. Bearing against the front: a head wind. [OE hēafod]

Condition, state, totality: godhead. [ME -hede]