Headword
A
headword,
head word,
lemma, or sometimes
catchword is the word under which a set of related dictionary or encyclopaedia entries appear. The headword is used to locate the entry, and dictates its alphabetical position. Depending on the size and nature of the dictionary or encyclopedia, the entry may include alternative meanings of the word, its etymology and pronunciation, compound words or phrases that contain the headword, and encyclopedic information about the concepts represented by the word. For example, the headword
bread may contain the following definitions:
Bread ▪ A common food made from the combination of flour, water and yeast ▪ Money
▪ To coat in breadcrumbs —
to know which side your bread is buttered to know how to act in your own best interests. The
Academic Dictionary of Lithuanian contains around 500,000 headwords. The
Oxford English Dictionary has around 273,000 headwords, while
Merriam-Webster's Third New International Dictionary has about 470,000.