headache

nouncommon in dialogue

//ˈhɛdeɪk//

A pain or ache in the head.

noun

1
A pain or ache in the head.
I have a splitting headache after that party last night.
I advise you to take some painkillers for the headache, it's probably nothing serious.
Sometimes on television they tell you a product is "good for headaches." I don't want something that's good for headaches. I want something that's bad for headaches. And good for me.
CNN spoke recently with several Conyers residents who said they still have blurry vision, shortness of breath, throat irritation or chronic headaches since the chemical plant fire.
2
figurativeA nuisance or unpleasant problem.
The clumsy filing system has been a huge headache.
Bogland now dominates the scene and the construction engineers must have suffered many a headache in seeking to secure a firm foundation.

Etymology

From Middle English hevedeche, from Old English hēafodeċe. By surface analysis, head + ache.

Forms

plural: headaches

head · The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the…Head · A surname from Middle English, from residence near a hilltop…head-on · Direct, abrupt, blunt or unequivocal; not prevaricating;…

headache · A pain or ache in the head.

headed · Of a sheet of paper: having the sender's name, address, etc.…heading · The title or topic of a document, article, chapter, or of a…headless · Without a head (body part). Synonym of decapitated.

The neighbouring pages — Alphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.