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Oberhaupt

Oberhaupt is a German noun meaning the top or supreme head of a group, organization, or body. The term is formed from Ober ("above, upper") and Haupt ("head"). It is commonly used in compounds to indicate domain-specific leadership, such as Familienoberhaupt (head of the family), Kirchenoberhaupt (head of a church), or Vereinsoberhaupt (head of an association).

As a stand-alone term, Oberhaupt denotes a leader who occupies the highest position within a hierarchy, but

In historical usage, Oberhaupt can refer to patriarchal or clan-based authority, and in religious contexts to

See also Staatsoberhaupt, Haupt, Patriarch.

it
is
rarely
used
as
an
official
title
for
public
offices.
In
political
contexts,
the
standard
term
for
the
leader
of
a
state
is
Staatsoberhaupt,
while
Regierungsoberhaupt
is
used
for
the
head
of
government.
the
supreme
spiritual
leader
of
a
church.
The
word
carries
a
sense
of
authority
and
centrality
rather
than
a
formal
constitutional
title.