Meanings
plural headwounds · alternative head wound
- A wound or injury to the head.
The illustration accompanies a section of text setting out directions for estimating the size of a headwound.
1999, Tony Hunt, The Medieval Surgery1 more example
Miladi's injury was pronounced to be the most severe in this respect; but Milor, in addition to his headwound, had broken bones and a snapped rib, which was thought to be pressing on his lungs.
1872, James Payn, A Woman's Vengeance
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*haubudawundō
- Old Englishhēafodwund“a wound in the head”
- Middle Englishhæfved-wunde
- Englishheadwound
From Middle English hæfved-wunde, from Old English hēafodwund (“a wound in the head”), from Proto-Germanic *haubudawundō, *haubidawundō (“injury to the head, headwound”), equivalent to head + wound. Cognate with Old Frisian hāvedwunde (“headwound”), Dutch hoofdwond (“injury to the head”), Old Saxon hōvidwunda (“headwound”), German Hauptwunde (“headwound”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐌱𐌹𐌸𐍅𐌿𐌽𐌳𐍃 (haubiþwunds, “wounded in the head”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
headwound. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headwound
“headwound.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headwound. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “headwound,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headwound.
Source: headwound on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.