broad-headedadj.
/ˌbrɔːdˈhɛdᵻd/, U.S. /ˌbrɔdˈhɛdəd/, /ˌbrɑdˈhɛdəd/ 1. Of an object: having a broad or large head; wide or flattened at the top.
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the world > space > shape > flaring at extremity > [adjective] > thickened at end > at top
broad-headed1530
thick-headed1707
bullheaded1881
a1450 ( tr. Vegetius De Re Militari (Douce) (1988) 153 Þey wiþ brod-hedid speres and dartis on horsbak muche destruccioun dede to þese bestis.
1593 T. Fale Horologiographia i. f. 2v Make a little hole in the point or centre G. and with a broad headed naile of brasse fasten it vpon the centre E. of your Instrument.
1642 D. Lakin Miraculous Cure of Prusian Swallow-knife 139 A Countryman in hunting was by a broad-headed hunting-staffe wounded in the Ventricle about the stomacke.
?1838 Hist. Berwickshire Naturalists' Club 1 No. 6. 163 Cover the wood with broad-headed nails.
1934 R. Graves I, Claudius xi. 158 The ordinary German soldier does all his work with the slim-shafted, narrow-headed assegai: the broad-headed halberd and the long sword are marks of high rank.
2005 J. Farris & T. Lemmer Home Improvem. 101 28 Generally speaking, use broad-headed nails for rough carpentry.
2. Of a person or animal: having a broad or large head; spec. (chiefly Physical Anthropology) having a skull that has a relatively high ratio of width to height (cf. brachycephalic adj.).Contrasted with long-headed (long-headed adj. 2b).
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1590 Tarltons Newes out of Purgatorie 46 I hope to make the ould peasaunt hir husband looke broad headed by a paire of browantlers.
1686 R. Blome Gentlemans Recreation v. x. 181/2 The Millers Thumb..is a broad Headed, and wide Mouthed Fish.
1709 J. Stevens tr. P. de Cieza Seventeen Years Trav. xxvi. 69 A People so large, that they look like Giants, broad back'd, strong, very long visag'd, and broad headed.
1726 J. Laurence New Syst. Agric. i. 140 The Cows [at Nantwich] are of a large Size, broad-headed, and horned.
1866 T. H. Huxley in S. Laing Pre-hist. Remains Caithness 108 Though absolutely broad-headed, they [sc. the Halle Germans] are long-headed relatively to their south-western countrymen.
1890 Proc. Zool. Soc. London 26 It will be noticed that the distinctly broad-headed dogs form a well-marked group by themselves, including the Chinese Pug-nosed Spaniel, the Pug, Bull-dog [etc].
1907 Practitioner Aug. 318 The people in the north of Scotland are broad-headed or platycranial.
1987 S. J. Fiedel Prehist. Americas (1988) iii. 42 Later American populations were predominantly broad-headed (brachycephalic).
2010 Herpetologica 66 1 Broad-headed snakes (Hoplocephalus bungaroides) lie in ambush for long periods within sun-warmed rocky retreat sites.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2022).
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adj.a1450