höfuð

See also: höfuð- and hǫfuð

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse hǫfuð, from Proto-Germanic *hafudą or *habudą, northern form of *haubudą, from Proto-Indo-European *kauput-, *kaput- (head). More at English head.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /hœːvʏθ/

Noun

höfuð n (genitive singular höfuðs, nominative plural höfuð)

  1. (anatomy) a head
    • 1928, Krummavísa (“Raven Song”, on the Icelandic Wikisource) by Jón Ásgeirsson
      Krummi krunkar úti,
      kallar á nafna sinn:
      „Ég fann höfuð af hrúti
      hrygg og gæruskinn.“
      Komdu nú og kroppaðu með mér,
      krummi nafni minn.
      “Krummi croaks outside,
      calling his namesake:
      ‘I found the head of a ram,
      backbone and sheepskin.’
      Come now and peck with me,
      Krummi, my namesake.”
  2. head, chief
  3. the ornamental prow of a ship
    Þetta var skip með gyltum höfðum.
  4. an ornamental head on a bridle
    Slitnaði sundur beislið, og týndist höfuðið, er á var.
    The bridle tore and the head on which it lay was lost.

Synonyms

Derived terms

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