cabeza

Cabeza is a Spanish noun meaning "head," the upper part of the body that contains the brain in humans and many animals. It is used in anatomical contexts as well as in a wide range of figurative expressions, often referring to leadership or the front part of something, for example when speaking of the head of a group or organization. The word is feminine: la cabeza. Etymology traces to Latin caput, with cognates in other Romance languages.

In cuisine, cabeza denotes the meat obtained from the head of an animal, especially a pig or cow. This meat is used in various dishes and preparations, most famously in Mexican and other Latin American cooking, where cabeza meat appears in tacos and other regional specialties.

Geography and onomastics: Cabeza appears in place names across the Spanish-speaking world and as a surname. A notable bearer of the compound surname Cabeza de Vaca is Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, a 16th-century Spanish explorer who traveled extensively through the Americas. The literal meaning of the surname is often rendered as "head of a cow," but the name is primarily encountered as a family designation or toponym rather than a descriptive phrase.