Standard Lemma guide

headwater

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: HH EH1 D W AO2 T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The source (and the initial part) of a stream.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: in-plural

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the source of a river

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the headwaters of the Nile

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: beginning, origin, root, rootage, source

History

Etymology

From head + water.