headedness

H4E1A1D2E1D2N1E1S1S1

noun

The state or quality of having a particular type of head (in various senses).

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Meanings

nounheadedness (uncountable)
  1. in compoundsuncountableThe state or quality of having a particular type of head (in various senses).

    We can sometimes see evidence for a particular headedness direction among head-dependency pairs, in the form of a more compressed grammar.

    2025, Edward A. F. Gibson, “Dependency Grammar” (chapter 3), in Syntax: A Cognitive Approach, MIT Press, →DOI, →ISBN, page 77
    1 more example

    An analysis of the historical change that led to the development of second-position clitics in Old Bulgarian is proposed that implicates a switch in the parameter of headedness of TP.

    2005 February, Roumyana Pancheva, “The Rise and Fall of Second-Position Clitics”, in Natural Language & Linguistic Theory, volume 23, number 1, page 103

Origin

From headed + -ness.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

headedness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headedness

MLA

“headedness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headedness. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “headedness,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headedness.

Source: headedness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.