Multiheaded

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Possessing more than one head on a single body or object
2. Characterized by two or more heads or head-like parts together
3. Describing something that features several heads or multiple headed parts

Etymology: "Multiheaded" is a plain English compound, built from three familiar parts: the Latin-derived prefix "multi-" meaning "many," the Old English "head," and the suffix "-ed," which turns a noun into an adjective describing something that has or is characterized by that thing. Put together, the word describes anything possessing several heads, whether a mythological monster or a literal creature. Its transparency is the point. English speakers have long been happy to join "multi-" to nouns as needed, so "multiheaded" needed no special coinage; it simply describes a body with more than one head. The word's usefulness lies mostly in figurative extensions, where a single organization, system, or threat is described as having several parts that act as one.

Synonyms: many-headed