head
from
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
head
n 1: the upper part of the human body or the front part of the
body in animals; contains the face and brains; "he stuck
his head out the window" [syn: {head}, {caput}]
2: a single domestic animal; "200 head of cattle"
3: that which is responsible for one's thoughts and feelings;
the seat of the faculty of reason; "his mind wandered"; "I
couldn't get his words out of my head" [syn: {mind}, {head},
{brain}, {psyche}, {nous}]
4: a person who is in charge; "the head of the whole operation"
[syn: {head}, {chief}, {top dog}]
5: the front of a military formation or procession; "the head of
the column advanced boldly"; "they were at the head of the
attack" [ant: {rear}]
6: the pressure exerted by a fluid; "a head of steam"
7: the top of something; "the head of the stairs"; "the head of
the page"; "the head of the list" [ant: {foot}]
8: the source of water from which a stream arises; "they tracked
him back toward the head of the stream" [syn: {fountainhead},
{headspring}, {head}]
9: (grammar) the word in a grammatical constituent that plays
the same grammatical role as the whole constituent [syn:
{head}, {head word}]
10: the tip of an abscess (where the pus accumulates)
11: the length or height based on the size of a human or animal
head; "he is two heads taller than his little sister"; "his
horse won by a head"
12: a dense cluster of flowers or foliage; "a head of
cauliflower"; "a head of lettuce" [syn: {capitulum}, {head}]
13: the educator who has executive authority for a school; "she
sent unruly pupils to see the principal" [syn: {principal},
{school principal}, {head teacher}, {head}]
14: an individual person; "tickets are $5 per head"
15: a user of (usually soft) drugs; "the office was full of
secret heads"
16: a natural elevation (especially a rocky one that juts out
into the sea) [syn: {promontory}, {headland}, {head},
{foreland}]
17: a rounded compact mass; "the head of a comet"
18: the foam or froth that accumulates at the top when you pour
an effervescent liquid into a container; "the beer had a
large head of foam"
19: the part in the front or nearest the viewer; "he was in the
forefront"; "he was at the head of the column" [syn:
{forefront}, {head}]
20: a difficult juncture; "a pretty pass"; "matters came to a
head yesterday" [syn: {pass}, {head}, {straits}]
21: forward movement; "the ship made little headway against the
gale" [syn: {headway}, {head}]
22: a V-shaped mark at one end of an arrow pointer; "the point
of the arrow was due north" [syn: {point}, {head}]
23: the subject matter at issue; "the question of disease merits
serious discussion"; "under the head of minor Roman poets"
[syn: {question}, {head}]
24: a line of text serving to indicate what the passage below it
is about; "the heading seemed to have little to do with the
text" [syn: {heading}, {header}, {head}]
25: the rounded end of a bone that fits into a rounded cavity in
another bone to form a joint; "the head of the humerus"
26: that part of a skeletal muscle that is away from the bone
that it moves
27: (computer science) a tiny electromagnetic coil and metal
pole used to write and read magnetic patterns on a disk
[syn: {read/write head}, {head}]
28: (usually plural) the obverse side of a coin that usually
bears the representation of a person's head; "call heads or
tails!" [ant: {tail}]
29: the striking part of a tool; "the head of the hammer"
30: (nautical) a toilet on board a boat or ship
31: a projection out from one end; "the head of the nail", "a
pinhead is the head of a pin"
32: a membrane that is stretched taut over a drum [syn:
{drumhead}, {head}]
33: oral stimulation of the genitals; "they say he gives good
head" [syn: {oral sex}, {head}]
v 1: to go or travel towards; "where is she heading"; "We were
headed for the mountains"
2: be in charge of; "Who is heading this project?" [syn: {head},
{lead}]
3: travel in front of; go in advance of others; "The procession
was headed by John" [syn: {lead}, {head}]
4: be the first or leading member of (a group) and excel; "This
student heads the class" [syn: {head}, {head up}]
5: direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
[syn: {steer}, {maneuver}, {manoeuver}, {manoeuvre},
{direct}, {point}, {head}, {guide}, {channelize},
{channelise}]
6: take its rise; "These rivers head from a mountain range in
the Himalayas"
7: be in the front of or on top of; "The list was headed by the
name of the president"
8: form a head or come or grow to a head; "The wheat headed
early this year"
9: remove the head of; "head the fish"
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Head \Head\ (h[e^]d), n. [OE. hed, heved, heaved, AS. he['a]fod;
akin to D. hoofd, OHG. houbit, G. haupt, Icel. h["o]fu[eth],
Sw. hufvud, Dan. hoved, Goth. haubi[thorn]. The word does not
correspond regularly to L. caput head (cf. E. {Chief},
{Cadet}, {Capital}), and its origin is unknown.]
1. The anterior or superior part of an animal, containing the
brain, or chief ganglia of the nervous system, the mouth,
and in the higher animals, the chief sensory organs; poll;
cephalon.
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2. The uppermost, foremost, or most important part of an
inanimate object; such a part as may be considered to
resemble the head of an animal; often, also, the larger,
thicker, or heavier part or extremity, in distinction from
the smaller or thinner part, or from the point or edge;
as, the head of a cane, a nail, a spear, an ax, a mast, a
sail, a ship; that which covers and closes the top or the
end of a hollow vessel; as, the head of a cask or a steam
boiler.
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3. The place where the head should go; as, the head of a bed,
of a grave, etc.; the head of a carriage, that is, the
hood which covers the head.
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4. The most prominent or important member of any organized
body; the chief; the leader; as, the head of a college, a
school, a church, a state, and the like. "Their princes
and heads." --Robynson (More's Utopia).
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The heads of the chief sects of philosophy.
--Tillotson.
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Your head I him appoint. --Milton.
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5. The place or honor, or of command; the most important or
foremost position; the front; as, the head of the table;
the head of a column of soldiers.
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An army of fourscore thousand troops, with the duke
of Marlborough at the head of them. --Addison.
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6. Each one among many; an individual; -- often used in a
plural sense; as, a thousand head of cattle.
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It there be six millions of people, there are about
four acres for every head. --Graunt.
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7. The seat of the intellect; the brain; the understanding;
the mental faculties; as, a good head, that is, a good
mind; it never entered his head, it did not occur to him;
of his own head, of his own thought or will.
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Men who had lost both head and heart. --Macaulay.
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8. The source, fountain, spring, or beginning, as of a stream
or river; as, the head of the Nile; hence, the altitude of
the source, or the height of the surface, as of water,
above a given place, as above an orifice at which it
issues, and the pressure resulting from the height or from
motion; sometimes also, the quantity in reserve; as, a
mill or reservoir has a good head of water, or ten feet
head; also, that part of a gulf or bay most remote from
the outlet or the sea.
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9. A headland; a promontory; as, Gay Head. --Shak.
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10. A separate part, or topic, of a discourse; a theme to be
expanded; a subdivision; as, the heads of a sermon.
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11. Culminating point or crisis; hence, strength; force;
height.
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Ere foul sin, gathering head, shall break into
corruption. --Shak.
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The indisposition which has long hung upon me, is
at last grown to such a head, that it must quickly
make an end of me or of itself. --Addison.
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12. Power; armed force.
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My lord, my lord, the French have gathered head.
--Shak.
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13. A headdress; a covering of the head; as, a laced head; a
head of hair. --Swift.
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14. An ear of wheat, barley, or of one of the other small
cereals.
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15. (Bot.)
(a) A dense cluster of flowers, as in clover, daisies,
thistles; a capitulum.
(b) A dense, compact mass of leaves, as in a cabbage or a
lettuce plant.
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16. The antlers of a deer.
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17. A rounded mass of foam which rises on a pot of beer or
other effervescing liquor. --Mortimer.
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18. pl. Tiles laid at the eaves of a house. --Knight.
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Note: Head is often used adjectively or in self-explaining
combinations; as, head gear or headgear, head rest. Cf.
{Head}, a.
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{A buck of the first head}, a male fallow deer in its fifth
year, when it attains its complete set of antlers. --Shak.
{By the head}. (Naut.) See under {By}.
{Elevator head}, {Feed head}, etc. See under {Elevator},
{Feed}, etc.
{From head to foot}, through the whole length of a man;
completely; throughout. "Arm me, audacity, from head to
foot." --Shak.
{Head and ears}, with the whole person; deeply; completely;
as, he was head and ears in debt or in trouble. [Colloq.]
{Head fast}. (Naut.) See 5th {Fast}.
{Head kidney} (Anat.), the most anterior of the three pairs
of embryonic renal organs developed in most vertebrates;
the pronephros.
{Head money}, a capitation tax; a poll tax. --Milton.
{Head pence}, a poll tax. [Obs.]
{Head sea}, a sea that meets the head of a vessel or rolls
against her course.
{Head and shoulders}.
(a) By force; violently; as, to drag one, head and
shoulders. "They bring in every figure of speech,
head and shoulders." --Felton.
(b) By the height of the head and shoulders; hence, by a
great degree or space; by far; much; as, he is head
and shoulders above them.
{Heads or tails} or {Head or tail}, this side or that side;
this thing or that; -- a phrase used in throwing a coin to
decide a choice, question, or stake, head being the side
of the coin bearing the effigy or principal figure (or, in
case there is no head or face on either side, that side
which has the date on it), and tail the other side.
{Neither head nor tail}, neither beginning nor end; neither
this thing nor that; nothing distinct or definite; -- a
phrase used in speaking of what is indefinite or confused;
as, they made neither head nor tail of the matter.
[Colloq.]
{Head wind}, a wind that blows in a direction opposite the
vessel's course.
{off the top of my head}, from quick recollection, or as an
approximation; without research or calculation; -- a
phrase used when giving quick and approximate answers to
questions, to indicate that a response is not necessarily
accurate.
{Out of one's own head}, according to one's own idea; without
advice or co["o]peration of another.
{Over the head of}, beyond the comprehension of. --M. Arnold.
{to go over the head of (a person)}, to appeal to a person
superior to (a person) in line of command.
{To be out of one's head}, to be temporarily insane.
{To come or draw to a head}. See under {Come}, {Draw}.
{To give (one) the head}, or {To give head}, to let go, or to
give up, control; to free from restraint; to give license.
"He gave his able horse the head." --Shak. "He has so long
given his unruly passions their head." --South.
{To his head}, before his face. "An uncivil answer from a son
to a father, from an obliged person to a benefactor, is a
greater indecency than if an enemy should storm his house
or revile him to his head." --Jer. Taylor.
{To lay heads together}, to consult; to conspire.
{To lose one's head}, to lose presence of mind.
{To make head}, or {To make head against}, to resist with
success; to advance.
{To show one's head}, to appear. --Shak.
{To turn head}, to turn the face or front. "The ravishers
turn head, the fight renews." --Dryden.
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from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Head \Head\ (h[e^]d), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Headed}; p. pr. & vb.
n. {Heading}.]
1. To be at the head of; to put one's self at the head of; to
lead; to direct; to act as leader to; as, to head an army,
an expedition, or a riot. --Dryden.
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2. To form a head to; to fit or furnish with a head; as, to
head a nail. --Spenser.
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3. To behead; to decapitate. [Obs.] --Shak.
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4. To cut off the top of; to lop off; as, to head trees.
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5. To go in front of; to get in the front of, so as to hinder
or stop; to oppose; hence, to check or restrain; as, to
head a drove of cattle; to head a person; the wind heads a
ship.
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6. To set on the head; as, to head a cask.
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{To head off}, to intercept; to get before; as, an officer
heads off a thief who is escaping. "We'll head them off at
the pass."
{To head up},
(a) to close, as a cask or barrel, by fitting a head to.
(b) To serve as the leader of; as, to head up a team of
investigators.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Head \Head\, v. i.
1. To originate; to spring; to have its source, as a river.
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A broad river, that heads in the great Blue Ridge.
--Adair.
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2. To go or point in a certain direction; to tend; as, how
does the ship head?
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3. To form a head; as, this kind of cabbage heads early.
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from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Feed \Feed\, n.
1. That which is eaten; esp., food for beasts; fodder;
pasture; hay; grain, ground or whole; as, the best feed
for sheep.
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2. A grazing or pasture ground. --Shak.
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3. An allowance of provender given to a horse, cow, etc.; a
meal; as, a feed of corn or oats.
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4. A meal, or the act of eating. [R.]
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For such pleasure till that hour
At feed or fountain never had I found. --Milton.
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5. The water supplied to steam boilers.
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6. (Mach.)
(a) The motion, or act, of carrying forward the stuff to
be operated upon, as cloth to the needle in a sewing
machine; or of producing progressive operation upon
any material or object in a machine, as, in a turning
lathe, by moving the cutting tool along or in the
work.
(b) The supply of material to a machine, as water to a
steam boiler, coal to a furnace, or grain to a run of
stones.
(c) The mechanism by which the action of feeding is
produced; a feed motion.
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{Feed bag}, a nose bag containing feed for a horse or mule.
{Feed cloth}, an apron for leading cotton, wool, or other
fiber, into a machine, as for carding, etc.
{Feed door}, a door to a furnace, by which to supply coal.
{Feed head}.
(a) A cistern for feeding water by gravity to a steam
boiler.
(b) (Founding) An excess of metal above a mold, which
serves to render the casting more compact by its
pressure; -- also called a {riser}, {deadhead}, or
simply {feed} or {head} --Knight.
{Feed heater}.
(a) (Steam Engine) A vessel in which the feed water for
the boiler is heated, usually by exhaust steam.
(b) A boiler or kettle in which is heated food for stock.
{Feed motion}, or {Feed gear} (Mach.), the train of mechanism
that gives motion to the part that directly produces the
feed in a machine.
{Feed pipe}, a pipe for supplying the boiler of a steam
engine, etc., with water.
{Feed pump}, a force pump for supplying water to a steam
boiler, etc.
{Feed regulator}, a device for graduating the operation of a
feeder. --Knight.
{Feed screw}, in lathes, a long screw employed to impart a
regular motion to a tool rest or tool, or to the work.
{Feed water}, water supplied to a steam boiler, etc.
{Feed wheel} (Mach.), a kind of feeder. See {Feeder}, n., 8.
[1913 Webster]
from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
852 Moby Thesaurus words for "head":
A per se, Adamite, Big Brother, LSD user, MD, Vernunft, WC,
abbreviation, abbreviature, abrege, abridgment, abstract, ace,
acidhead, acknowledgments, acmatic, addict, address, administer,
administrate, administrator, agua, aim, alcoholic, ament, antecede,
anterior, anteriority, apex, apical, aptitude, aptness, aqua, arch,
argument, ascendant, at the head, auditor, avert, back,
back matter, backhouse, banner, banner head, basement, basis,
bastard title, bathroom, be in front, be master,
be responsible for, be the bellwether, be the front-runner, beacon,
beak, bean, bear, bear for, bear up for, bear up to, bearing,
beginning, being, belfry, bend to, bent, bias, bibliography,
big cheese, bill, block, blood, boatswain, body, bold front,
boltrope, boost, boss, bracket, bracket capital, brain, brainpan,
brains, branch, brave face, brave front, break for, break ground,
break the ice, breakers, breakwater, brief, brow, bump, bunt,
burden, butt, call the signals, can, canvas, cap, cape, capital,
capitulum, capsheaf, capsule, captain, caption, caput, cardinal,
carry on, case, cast, caste, cat, catch line, catchword, category,
catkin, chain smoker, chair, chairman, champion, chap, chapter,
character, chersonese, chief, chief executive officer, chieftain,
chump, clan, class, clew, climax, closet, cloth, cocaine sniffer,
cock, coconut, cokie, collar, colophon, come before, come first,
comfort station, command, commander, commanding, commencement,
compend, completely, comptroller, conception, concern, conclusion,
condensation, condensed version, conduce, conduct, cone, conk,
consciousness, conspectus, consummate, contents, contents page,
contribute, control, controller, controlling, convenience,
copyright page, coral reef, cornice, corymb, cranium, crapper,
create, creature, crescendo, crest, cringle, crisis,
critical point, crop, crowd of sail, crown, crumpet, cubehead,
culminate, culmination, customer, cut off, cyme, dash for, dean,
decapitate, decollate, dedication, deeply, delta, derivation,
descend, dig, digest, dipsomaniac, direct, directing, directive,
directorial, directory, discipline, discourse of reason,
discursive reason, display, dispose, divert, division, dome,
dominant, dope fiend, doper, draft, drinking water, drop,
drop head, dropline, drug abuser, drug addict, drug user, drunkard,
duck, ead, earing, earth closet, earthling, eau, employer,
encephalon, endleaf, endpaper, endsheet, engineer, entirely,
epigraph, epitome, errata, esprit, essence, estate, facade, face,
facet, facia, faculty, fellow, fend off, fiend, first, first place,
flair, fleece, floor manager, floorman, floorwalker, flyleaf, foam,
focus of attention, focus of interest, folio, font, foot, fore,
fore edge, fore-and-aft sail, forefront, foreground, forehand,
foreland, foreman, foremost, forepart, forequarter, foreside,
forestall, foreword, forge ahead, forward, fount, fountainhead,
freak, front, front elevation, front man, front matter, front page,
front view, frontage, frontal, frontier, frontispiece, frost,
froth, fugleman, fully, gaffer, ganger, general, genesis, genius,
get ahead of, get before, gist, glue sniffer, go, go before,
go for, go in advance, gourd, govern, governing, governor, grade,
grass roots, gravitate, gray matter, ground water, groundling,
group, grouping, guide, guiding, guillotine, guy, habitual,
half-title page, hand, handle, hanger, hard water, have a tendency,
have priority, have the start, head of hair, head off,
head over heels, head the line, head the table, head up, heading,
headland, headline, headman, headmaster, headmistress, headmost,
headpiece, headstream, headwater, headwaters, heavy smoker,
heavy water, hegemonic, hegemonistic, hierarch, higher-up, highest,
hit for, hold a heading, homo, honcho, hook, hophead, human,
human being, hustle, hydrol, hydrometeor, hydrosphere, hype, ice,
imprint, in ascendancy, in charge, in chief, in the ascendant,
inception, incline, index, individual, inhibit, initiate,
inscription, inspector, intellect, intellection,
intellectual faculty, intelligence, intercept, introduction,
invent, issue, jab, jog, joggle, john, johnny, johnny house, joker,
jolt, jostle, jump head, junkie, kick off, kin, knack, label, lap,
lather, latrine, laureate, lavatory, lay for, lead, lead off,
lead on, lead the dance, lead the way, leader, leadership, leading,
leaf, lean, leech, legend, level, life, light out, light the way,
limewater, living issue, living soul, loaf, locks, loo, look to,
luff, madly, maiden, main, main point, make, make for,
make the rules, make up to, makeup, man, manage, managerial,
managing, managing director, mane, maneuver, manipulate,
marijuana smoker, master, mastermind, mat, matter, matter in hand,
maximal, maximum, meat, mens, mental capacity, mentality, meridian,
meridional, meringue, methhead, mind, mineral water, miniature,
monitor, mop, mortal, motif, motive, motto, mousse, move, mull,
muslin, narcotics addict, naze, necessary, neck, ness, noddle,
noggin, noncommissioned officer, nonpareil, noodle, nose, nous,
nudge, nut, obverse, officer, offscum, one, order,
organ of thought, origin, original, originate, origination,
outhouse, outline, outrank, outstrip, outtop, overarch, overline,
overman, overmost, oversee, overseer, overtop, overview, pace,
page, pallet, pandect, panicle, paragon, paramount, party, pate,
peak, peninsula, perception, perceptiveness, person, personage,
personality, pigeonhole, pillhead, pine cone, pinhead, pioneer,
plain sail, plunge, point, point at issue, point in question,
point to, poke, poll, portrait, portraiture, portrayal, position,
pothead, powder room, power of reason, precede, precipitate,
precis, predicament, predominant, predominate, preeminent, preface,
prefix, preliminaries, premier, prepollent, preponderant,
preponderate, prepotent, prescribe, preside over, president, press,
press of sail, pressure, prevalent, prevent, primary, prime,
prime minister, principal, priority, privy, problem, proceed,
proctor, prod, prodigy, profile, promontory, proscenium,
provenience, psyche, puff, pull the strings, punch, push,
quarterback, question, race, raceme, radical, radix, rag, rain,
rainwater, rank, rate, rating, ratio, rationality, reason,
reasoning, reasoning faculty, recto, redound to, reduced sail,
reef, reef point, reefed sail, regnant, regulate, regulating,
regulative, regulatory, reigning, rest room, reverso, review,
ridge, rise, riverhead, rocker, root, rubric, rule, ruler, ruling,
run, run for, running head, running title, sail, sail for,
salt water, sandspit, scalp, scarehead, sconce, screamer, scud,
scum, sea foam, sea water, seat of thought, section, senior,
sensation, sensorium, sensory, sept, serve, set, set out,
set out for, set the pace, set toward, settle, shag, shock,
shortened version, shove, show a tendency, signature, silhouette,
single, sink, sirdar, skeleton, sketch, skipper, skull,
slave driver, smarts, snowbird, soapsuds, soft water, somebody,
someone, souffle, soul, source, sovereign, spadix, spearhead,
speed freak, spike, spikelet, spindrift, spit, spoondrift, spray,
spread, spreadhead, spring water, spume, spur, square sail,
stand first, stand in front, stand over, star, start, station,
status, steam, steer, steer for, stem, stinging, stock, stop,
strain, stratum, straw boss, streamer, stress, strike out,
strobile, subdivision, subforeman, subgroup, subhead, subheading,
subject, subject matter, subject of thought, suborder, subside,
substance, subtitle, suds, summital, super, superintendent,
superior, superman, superscription, superstar, supervise,
supervisor, supreme, surf, surmount, survey, surveyor, syllabus,
synopsis, table of contents, tail, take command, take off,
take precedence, take the initiative, take the lead,
take the plunge, talent, taproot, taskmaster, tellurian, tend,
tend to go, terran, text, thatch, the greatest, the most, theme,
thrust, thumbnail sketch, thyrse, tip, tip-top, title, title page,
toilet, toilet room, tongue, top, top dog, top off, topic,
topical outline, topknot, topmost, train, trend, tresses,
trim size, tripper, turn, turning point, type page, ultimate,
umbel, understanding, upmost, uppermost, urinal, user, usher in,
utterly, van, vanguard, verge, verso, vertical, verticillaster,
virtuoso, visitor, ward off, warp, washroom, water, water closet,
water vapor, well water, wetting agent, wetting-out agent,
white water, wholly, wield authority, wildly, window dressing,
wise man, wit, work toward, worldling, zenithal
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