Published 2026-09-12

headlong

Where did “headlong” come from? Meet “headlong”. #words #vocabulary

Text from the published carousel. Swipe or scroll through the cards, or read them in order with your keyboard.

1. 1 / 5

   KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS WORD: “headlong”. Say it: /ˈhɛdlɒŋ/
   Meaning: Having the uppermost part of the body foremost.

2. 2 / 5

   THE QUESTION: “headlong”. Where did “headlong” come from?
   The history comes next.

3. 3 / 5

   WHERE IT BEGAN: “headlong”. Headlong was Middle English headling: head plus an adverbial suffix -ling meaning in a particular direction or manner. Speakers later reshaped -ling as -long under the influence of words such as sidelong and along.

4. 4 / 5

   HOW IT GOT THERE: “headlong”. Falling with the head foremost naturally suggested uncontrolled speed and danger. The bodily direction became the figurative lack of deliberation in a headlong decision or rush.

5. 5 / 5

   PLAY LEXIFOUR: Try five more words. Play the free daily vocabulary game at lexifour.com.
   Follow for more word stories.