acephalous

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acephalous

/əˈsɛfələs/

Where it comes from

From French acéphale, from Ancient Greek ἀκέφαλος (aképhalos, “headless”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + κεφαλή (kephalḗ, “head”). By surface analysis, a- + -cephalous.

adjective more acephalous · most acephalous

Having no head. […] Mr. Cruickshank saw a Monster nine Months old, which lived thirty-six Hours after it was born, though it had no Cranium: […] But is this a Reason that we should believe the vital Functions and the Increase of the Body have no dependence on the Brain? I think not: for such acephalous Subjects nev
Similar: acephalic, headless
Without a distinct head.
Having the style spring from the base, instead of from the apex, as is the case in certain ovaries
A system of society without centralised state authority, where power is welded amongst groups of community entities e.g. clans. Without a leader or chief. an acephalous society / community
Similar: acephalic, leaderless
Deficient in the beginning, as a line of poetry that is missing its expected opening syllable. They have acephalous or headless Verses, which commence with a short Syllable instead of a long one:
Similar: acephalic
Lacking the first portion of the text. (of a manuscript)
Similar: acephalic
rare Without a beginning. 1828, Thomas de Quincey, review of Elements of Rhetoric by Richard Whately, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 24, No. 147, December 1828, p. 905, Men wrote eloquently, because they wrote feelingly: they wrote idiomatically, because they wrote naturally, and without affectation: but if a fals

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MLA

"acephalous." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/acephalous. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

acephalous. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/acephalous

Chicago

"acephalous." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/acephalous.

BibTeX

@misc{acephalous_2026,
  title = {acephalous},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/acephalous},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}