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HEADMAN
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Dictionary entry overview: What does headman mean?
• HEADMAN (noun)
The noun HEADMAN has 2 senses:
1. an executioner who beheads the condemned person
2. the head of a tribe or clan
Familiarity information: HEADMAN used as a noun is rare.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
An executioner who beheads the condemned person
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Synonyms:
headman; headsman
Hypernyms ("headman" is a kind of...):
executioner; public executioner (an official who inflicts capital punishment in pursuit of a warrant)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The head of a tribe or clan
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Synonyms:
chief; chieftain; headman; tribal chief
Hypernyms ("headman" is a kind of...):
leader (a person who rules or guides or inspires others)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "headman"):
Indian chief; Indian chieftain (the leader of a group of Native Americans)
pendragon (the supreme war chief of the ancient Britons)
Instance hyponyms:
Glendower; Owen Glendower (Welsh chieftain who led a revolt against Henry IV's rule in Wales (1359-1416))
Hrolf; Rolf; Rollo (Norse chieftain who became the first duke of Normandy (860-931))
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