Etymologically
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headache

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈhed.eɪk/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old English hēafodece,[2][3] a compound of hēafod, head, and ece, ache.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

An ache or continuous pain in the head: about 1000.[4]

Semantic evolution

The colloquial sense, a troublesome or annoying problem, is attested by 1934, at first American.[2][4] Headachy is from 1705.[2] In country speech the wild poppy was called headache (before 1825), from the effect of its smell.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 1000 – hēafodece.[4]
  • 1705 – headachy.[2]
  • before 1825 – the wild poppy (rustic).[4]
  • 1934 – a troublesome problem.[2][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A continuous pain in the head.
  2. (informal) A troublesome problem or worry.

Word family

  • headachy
  • cluster headache
  • sick headache

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press