Headland

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈhɛdlənd/

Definitions

1. A ridge of land that juts out into the sea or a body of water, often forming a natural geographical feature
2. A prominent point of land that extends into a body of water, acting as a natural marker or landmark on the coastline
3. A piece of land that rises above its surroundings and projects into the ocean or lake, often creating scenic views and habitats

Etymology: The word is a plain compound, and its original sense is more literal than the modern geographical one. Old English "hēafodland" (also spelled "hafudland") joined "hēafod," meaning "head," with "land." Its earliest meaning was "boundary," the land at the end of a field or estate where ploughs turned around, which is the sense the word still carried in its Old English form. Over the Middle English period the word became "hedelond" and "hedelonde," and it gradually took on the coastal sense we know today: the high end of land pushing out into the water. It also displaced an earlier borrowing, "chevicir," which came from Old French "chevecier" and meant "head piece," so the English word won out over a near-synonym brought in from French.

Synonyms: cape, promontory, cliff, point, bluff