headlong

English

Etymology

From Middle English hedlong, alteration of hedling, heedling, hevedlynge (“headlong”), assimilated to long. More at headling.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈhedlɒŋ]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒŋ

Adverb

headlong (not comparable)

1. With the head first or down.
2. With an unrestrained forward motion.

   Figures out today show the economy plunging headlong into recession.

3. Rashly; precipitately; without deliberation, in haste, hastily

Antonyms

• arselong (UK dialect)

Translations

with the head first or down

• Catalan: de cap (ca)
• Finnish: pää edellä, päistikkaa
• French: la tête la première (fr)
• Irish: i ndiaidh do chinn
• Latin: praeceps
• Maori: tūpou (mi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: med hode først, hodestups

• Old English: neowol
• Russian: голово́й вперёд (golovój vperjód)
• Serbo-Croatian: naglavce (sh), naglavačke (sh)
• Spanish: de cabeza
• Swedish: huvudstupa (sv)

with an unrestrained forward motion

• Bulgarian: стремително (bg) (stremitelno)
• Finnish: päätä pahkaa (fi), päistikkaa
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: ἰταμός (itamós)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: i ndiaidh do chinn
• Norwegian: hals over hode
• Russian: сломя́ го́лову (ru) (slomjá gólovu), очертя́ го́лову (ru) (očertjá gólovu), стремгла́в (ru) (stremgláv), опроме́тью (ru) (oprométʹju), стреми́тельно (ru) (stremítelʹno)
• Serbo-Croatian: strmoglavce (sh)

in haste, hastily, without deliberation

• Bulgarian: прибързано (bg) (pribǎrzano), необмислено (bg) (neobmisleno)
• Maori: patiko
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: сломя́ го́лову (ru) (slomjá gólovu), очертя́ го́лову (ru) (očertjá gólovu)
• Serbo-Croatian: bezglavo (sh)
• Spanish: de cabeza

Adjective

headlong (comparative more headlong, superlative most headlong)

1. Precipitous.
2. Plunging downwards head foremost.
3. Rushing forward without restraint.
4. (figuratively) Reckless, impetuous.
   • 1869, RD Blackmoore, Lorna Doone, II:

     “Time is up,” cried another boy, more headlong than head-monitor.

Derived terms

• headlongness
• headlongs

Translations

precipitous

• Bulgarian: прибързан (bg) (pribǎrzan)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

plunging downwards head foremost

• Bulgarian: с главата напред (s glavata napred)
• Norwegian: med hode først
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Old English: neowol
• Spanish: de cabeza

rushing forward without restraint

• Bulgarian: стремителен (bg) (stremitelen), буен (bg) (buen)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian: hals over hode

Verb

headlong (third-person singular simple present headlongs, present participle headlonging, simple past and past participle headlonged)

1. (transitive) To precipitate.
   • 1862, Thomas Adams, The works of Thomas Adams:

     If a stranger be setting his pace and face toward some deep pit, or steep rock — such a precipice as the cliffs of Dover — how do we cry aloud to have him return ? yet in mean time forget the course of our own sinful ignorance, that headlongs us to confusion.

   • 1905, Liberty Hyde Bailey, The outlook to nature:

     Carriages went up and down in endless pageant. Trolley-cars rushed by, clanging and grinding as they headlonged into the side streets.

Anagrams

• Hogeland