noun
- words or phrases that serve as the main entries in a dictionary, glossary, or index
Usage: lexicography; plural of headword
Examples
- The dictionary contains over 50,000 headwords.
- Students were asked to identify the headwords in the glossary.
- The lexicographer organized the headwords alphabetically.
- Each headword is followed by its definition and examples.
- The index lists all headwords covered in the textbook.
- Compound words often appear as separate headwords.