Meanings
flathead1
plural flatheads
- Any fish in the family Platycephalidae.
- USabbreviationellipsisinformalEllipsis of flathead catfish
- only "flatheads" as pluralA type of screw or bolt designed to fit in a countersink so that it sits flush with a surface.
Flathead2
plural Flatheads
- One of the Salish people of Washington state and British Columbia.
- Their Salishan language.
Synonyms: Kalispel-Pend d'Oreille
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of side valve.
proper nounTheir Salishan language.
Origin
Flathead · noun, proper noun
From flat + head, from the practice of compressing the skull in infancy by artificial means. However, the Salish tribe never practised this custom, the confusion arising from the fact that the early traders felt compelled to adopt the local Indian classification, which considered the prevailing compressed skull of the neighbouring tribes as pointed and the naturally shaped Salish skull by contrast as flat.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish lättäsimppu, uppokantaruuvi
- lättäsimppufish
- uppokantaruuvitype of screw
- uppokantapulttitype of screw
- sivuventtiilimoottoritype of engine
Japanese 鯒
- 鯒 (kochi)fish
Tagalog lubalob, isdambuwaya
- lubalobfish
- isdambuwayafish
Cite this entry
flathead. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flathead
“flathead.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flathead. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “flathead,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flathead.
Source: flathead on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.