headless
English edit
Etymology edit
From Middle English heedles, hevedles, from Old English hēafodlēas (“headless”), equivalent to head + -less. Cognate with Dutch hoofdloos (“headless”), Danish hovedløs (“headless”), Swedish huvudlös (“headless”), Icelandic höfuðlaus (“headless”).
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
headless (not comparable)
- Without a head; decapitated.
- How did the headless horseman see to chase Ichabod?
- Without leadership.
- The headless army blundered along after the death of their general, accomplishing nothing.
- 1614, Walter Ralegh [i.e., Walter Raleigh], The Historie of the World […], London: […] William Stansby for Walter Burre, […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=1 to 5):
- His forsaken soldiers, being now a headless company, and no longer an army to be feared, obtained nevertheless a reasonable composition from the Carthaginians […]
- (linguistics, of a phrase or compound) Not having a head morpheme or word.
- (computing) Running without a graphical user interface; running without any attached output device (e.g., monitor) or input device (e.g., keyboard, mouse).
- (of beer) Without a head of foam.
- (obsolete) Heedless.
- 1579, E. K. (Edward Kirke?), Notes on Spenser’s The Shepheardes Calender
- If any one will rashly blame such his choice of old and unwonted words, him may I more justly blame and condemn, either of witless headiness in judging, or of headless hardiness in condemning.
- 1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Hugh Singleton, […], →OCLC; reprinted as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, The Shepheardes Calender […], London: John C. Nimmo, […], 1890, →OCLC:
- THENOT: Cuddy, I wot thou kenſt little Good, / So vainly to advance thy headleſs Hood.
- 1579, E. K. (Edward Kirke?), Notes on Spenser’s The Shepheardes Calender
- (obsolete, firearms) Rimless, not having a cartridge case rim (flange).
- A headless shell doesn't have a flange.
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
without a head
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