head man

noun — 2 senses

head man

noun

Etymology From Middle English heed man, from Old English hēafodmann (“leader; captain, head of a group”), from Proto-West Germanic *haubidamann, equivalent to head + man. Cognate with Dutch hoofdman (“chief; chieftain”), German Hauptmann (“captain”), Swedish huvudman (“chief; principal; leader”). Compare also English headsman. Doublet of hetman.

1

The person in charge of an organization, clan, tribe, or other group.

2

The leader of a village.

Synonyms
boss, chief
Related terms
hetman

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.