Headache
/ˈhɛd.eɪk/noun
Pain in the head.
Did you know?Unlike words like mortgage or nightmare, headache is not a hidden spell-word; it’s an old, brutally literal compound that has meant exactly what it says for centuries.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
hēafodæce
“head pain; pain in the head”
Middle English
ME
hedache
“pain in the head”
16th Century
English
headache
“pain in the head”
Modern English
English
headache
“pain in the head; also a problem or source of trouble”
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