headline

The story

From head + line.

First known use, by meaning

• 13th–19th c. Any of various type of rope used to attach a sail to a yard.
• from 19th c. A rope or chain used to attach the bow of a vessel to the shore or to another vessel.
• from 19th c. A rope tied to the head of an animal.
• from 16th c. A line stretching diagonally across the palm, said to represent mental or intellectual matters.
• from 17th c. The boundary line of a piece of land, used as a reference in surveying etc.
• from 18th c. A line drawn across the head of a page, for the title, page number, etc.; also more generally, the space at the top of a page in which this information is positioned.
• from 18th c. A heading or title at the top of a page or section of text; especially, a brief line in large letters summarising or drawing attention to the following article or similar in a magazine or newspaper.