headless

adjectiveattested in dialogue

//ˈhɛdləs//

Without a head (body part). Synonym of decapitated.

adjective

1
Without a head (body part). Synonym of decapitated.
How did the headless horseman see to chase Ichabod?
2
Without a head (body part). Naturally having and needing no head.
headless invertebrates
3
Without a head (hardware or device feature).
a headless nail; a headless set screw
4
Without leadership.
The headless army blundered along after the death of their general, accomplishing nothing.
His forsaken soldiers, being now a headless company, and no longer an army to be feared, obtained nevertheless a reasonable composition from the Carthaginians […]
5
Not having a head morpheme or word.
6
Running without a graphical user interface; running without any attached output device (e.g., monitor) or input device (e.g., keyboard, mouse).
/redirect. Used for console redirection in headless servers.
Routers typically run headless, without a keyboard or monitor.
This is not unexpected for a Windows system running as a virtual machine or a headless server,[…]
7
Without a head of foam.
8
obsoleteHeedless.
1579, E. K. (Edward Kirke?), Notes on Spenser’s The Shepheardes Calender If any one will rashly blame such his choice of old and unwonted words, him may I more justly blame and condemn, either of witless headiness in judging, or of headless hardiness in condemning.
THENOT: Cuddy, I wot thou kenſt little Good, / So vainly to advance thy headleſs Hood.
9
obsoleteRimless, not having a cartridge case rim (flange).
A headless shell doesn't have a flange.

Etymology

From Middle English heedles, hevedles, from Old English hēafodlēas (“headless”), equivalent to head + -less. Cognate with Dutch hoofdloos (“headless”), Danish hovedløs (“headless”), Swedish huvudlös (“headless”), Icelandic höfuðlaus (“headless”). Piecewise doublet of chefless and chiefless.

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.

headline · The heading or title of a magazine or newspaper article.headmaster · A male headteacher.headphones · A pair of cushioned speakers worn over or in the ears so only…

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.