Having a strong or intoxicating effect; making one feel dizzy or euphoric. Can also mean impetuous or rash.
From Old English heafod meaning 'head', with the suffix -y. Originally described things that affected the head, like strong wine or perfume. The figurative sense of 'intoxicating with success or power' developed in the 16th century.
Wine experts still use 'heady' to describe aromatic wines that literally make you feel light-headed before you even taste them. The word perfectly captures that moment when success goes to someone's head - it's both literal and metaphorical at once.
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