Definition of "headword" [headword]

• A word, phrase, or name, usually set in boldface or other distinctive type, that serves as the heading for an entry in a dictionary, encyclopedia, or similar reference work. Also called entry word. (noun)
• Grammar A word that may be modified by an adjunct. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Each headword is listed with its translation, part of speech, and pronunciation."
• "The Random House Dictionary text was keyboarded after writing and each entry was divided and entered in fields assigned to different levels of information for example ­headword, pronunciation, definitions, etc."
• "COD6 conventions replace the repeated headword with a swung dash – arguably satisfactory if the rest of the phrase retains its typographical coding to reveal its status."