Headwords

/ˈhɛdwɜrdz/ noun

Definition

Plural of headword; the main entry words in a dictionary or reference work.

Etymology

Simple plural of headword, following standard English pluralization. As dictionaries proliferated in the 1900s, the need to discuss multiple entries together created this standard term.

Kelly Says

The most comprehensive English dictionaries contain over 600,000 headwords, but studies show the average person only uses about 20,000 active words—so most headwords are there waiting to make you sound smarter!

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