heafod

Heafod is a Welsh noun meaning “head.” It denotes the head of a person or animal in anatomical or descriptive contexts and also appears in historical or literary Welsh as well as in modern usage. In everyday Welsh, the more common term for many head-related senses is often pen, but heafod remains in use for formal, medical, or archaic contexts, and in compound formations that reference the head or leading part of something.

Etymology and linguistic notes: The word is of Welsh origin with attestations in Middle Welsh and continued into Modern Welsh. It reflects Brythonic language history and has cognates in related Celtic languages, illustrating how body-part vocabulary evolved across the branch.

Grammar and usage: Heafod is a masculine noun and is flexible across registers. In contemporary Welsh, it tends to occur in technical, academic, or poetic contexts rather than everyday speech. It can participate in compounds that designate the head or origin of something and is commonly found in historical or descriptive passages.

See also: Welsh language; Head (anatomy); Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru; Brythonic languages.

References: Dictionary sources on Welsh vocabulary and etymology, including standard Welsh lexica, document the usage and historical development of heafod.