oferheafod

Old English

Etymology

From ofer- +‎ hēafod.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌo.ferˈxæ͜ɑː.fod/, [ˌo.verˈhæ͜ɑː.vod]

Adverb

oferhēafod

1. generally, in general, in every case
   • c. 992, Ælfric, "On the Nativity of our Lord"

     Þeos towritennys wearð aræred fram ðam ealdormen Cyrino, of Sirian lande, þæt ælc man ofer-hēafod sceolde cennan his gebyrde, and his áre on ðære byrig þe hé to gehyrde.

     This enrolment was set forth from Cyrenius, the governor of Syria—that every man in general should declare his birth and his possession in the city to which he belonged.

Descendants

• Middle English: over hede, over-hed, owerheved
  • English: overhead

References

• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “oferheáfod”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎, 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.