headword \ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷\noun 1.: a word or term often in distinctive type placed at the beginning of a chapter, paragraph, or entry (as in a dictionary or a catalog) 2.: a word qualified by a modifier < it is not always easy to state the precise kind of relation that exists between the modifier and its headword — C.C.Fries >