Headachier

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. More likely to produce or be accompanied by a headache or pain in the head
2. Tending to trigger headaches more readily or causing greater head discomfort
3. More inclined to result in a headache or more severe in its headache-inducing effects

Etymology: "Headachier" is the comparative form of "headachy", which means more prone to or suffering from headaches. The adjective "headachy" is formed from "headache" plus the suffix "-y", which turns a noun into an adjective meaning "characterized by" or "affected by" the noun. The suffix itself has a long pedigree, tracing back through Old English "-ig" and Proto-Germanic "-gaz" to a Proto-Indo-European root, but in this word it is simply a productive ending that English speakers have attached to nouns for centuries. The comparative "-ier" follows the usual English pattern for adjectives ending in "-y": the "y" changes to "i" before the comparative ending "-er" is added, giving "headachier" and, for the superlative, "headachiest". The comparative is used to say that one thing or person is more affected by headaches than another, or that a situation is more likely to cause them.