Headly

Part of speech: adjective, adverb

Definitions

1. Acting in a rash, hasty way without careful thought or regard for the risks involved
2. Describing something done recklessly and impetuously, rushing ahead with little caution
3. Reckless and impulsive, moving or acting with a sudden, headlong haste and no forethought

Etymology: Old English "hēafodlīċ" meant "at the top," "principal," or "capital," and also "deadly," a sense that has since vanished from the modern word. Built from "head" and the suffix "-ly," it passed into Middle English as "hedly" and "havedlich," and its meaning gradually narrowed. The word is a close relative of several other forms across the Germanic languages. West Frisian "haadlik," Dutch "hoofdelijk," and Middle Low German "hö̂vetlī̂k" all share its ancestry, as does Middle High German "houbetlich," which lies behind the archaic German "hauptlich." Its meaning in those languages stays nearer the idea of being chief or head. In English, "headly" is a doublet of "chefly" and "chiefly," words that came into the language by a different route from French. The three forms developed from the same root but reached English separately, so they now sit side by side with overlapping senses.