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DictionaryheadacheHead pain
noun

headache

HED-ayk/ˈhedeɪk/

A persistent pain felt within the head.

She has a headache and rests in a quiet room.

A South Asian woman presses fingertips to temples with a pained headache expression in quiet room.
Etymology
headOld Englishhead
+acheOld Englishpain

The compound names the affected body part and the pain directly: an ache located in the head. This literal combination was already used in Old English.

In context

Yale Medicine3:02
Bring it up. Headache and headache pain is not just in your head. It is very real.
Migraine: A Neurological Condition That's Not Just in Your Head - Yale Medicine Explains

More examples

  • Skipping lunch sometimes gives me a headache.
  • My headache lasts for most of the afternoon.
  • He asks his doctor about his frequent headaches.

Forms

headache · headaches

Similar words

ache
A steady pain anywhere in the body, not just the head.
migraine
A specific disorder often involving headaches, nausea, and light sensitivity.