head man

Meaning

1. The person in charge of an organization, clan, tribe, or other group.
2. The leader of a village.

Synonyms

clan

class

family

👪

head

people

🧑‍🤝‍🧑

tribe

Translations

geslacht

👉👌

stam

clan

familie

Klan

Sippe

clan

famille

👪

tribu

clan

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: heed man

Inherited from Old English: hēafodmann

Cognate with Dutch: hoofdman

Cognate with German: Hauptmann

Cognate with Swedish: huvudman

In summary

From Middle English heed man, from Old English hēafodmann (“leader; captain, head of a group”), from Proto-West Germanic *haubidamann, equivalent to head + man. Cognate with Dutch hoofdman (“chief; chieftain”), German Hauptmann (“captain”), Swedish huvudman (“chief; principal; leader”). Compare also English headsman. Doublet of hetman.