headright

H4E1A1D2R1I1G2H4T1
UK/ˈhɛdɹʌɪt/

noun

A legal grant to own unsettled land in colonial America, or the land so claimed.

First used 18th c.Scrabble 17
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Meanings

nounheadright (plural headrights)

plural headrights

  1. CanadaUShistoricalA legal grant to own unsettled land in colonial America, or the land so claimed.First known use 18th c.

    By 1846 we had moved past the line of settlement, to my father's headright on the Pedernales.

    2013, Philipp Meyer, The Son, Simon & Schuster, published 2014, page 4

Origin

From head + right.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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