Directed toward or located at the head or source of something, like a river or valley.
Compound of 'head' and the directional suffix '-ward' (meaning toward). This geological term follows the pattern of other directional adjectives like 'forward' and 'backward,' applied specifically to upriver or upslope directions.
Geologists use 'headward' to describe how rivers literally move backward into mountains over time—it's called headward erosion, and the river actually grows longer by carving upstream. This counterintuitive idea shows that 'backward' motion happens constantly in nature.
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