Learn Greek › B2 › κεφαλή
κεφαλή
head /ce.faˈli/
nounB2#2885 most common
Also: head (of an object, e.g. a screw or tool), warhead, leader/chief (in the phrase 'head of')
Example sentences
Η κεφαλή του αγάλματος είναι μεγάλη.
The statue's head is big.
Ο γιατρός εξέτασε την κεφαλή του ασθενή.
The doctor examined the patient's head.
Ο στρατηγός βρισκόταν στην κεφαλή του στρατεύματος.
The general was at the head of the army.
Η κεφαλή της βίδας είναι σκουριασμένη.
The screw's head is rusted.
Η πολεμική κεφαλή του πυραύλου περιέχει εκρηκτικά.
The missile's warhead contains explosives.
Ο Χριστός είναι η κεφαλή της Εκκλησίας, κατά τη χριστιανική διδασκαλία.
Christ is the head of the Church, according to Christian teaching.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | η κεφαλή | οι κεφαλές |
| Genitive | της κεφαλής | των κεφαλών |
| Accusative | την κεφαλή | τις κεφαλές |
| Vocative | κεφαλή | κεφαλές |
Word family
κεφάλιhead (common, everyday word)
κεφαλαίοcapital letter / chapter / financial capital
κεφαλαλγίαheadache (medical term)
επικεφαλήςin charge of, at the head ofEtymology
Ancient Greek κεφαλή meant 'head' and appears already in Homer. Its origin outside Greek is unclear. Some scholars have compared it to Germanic words for head or gable, such as Old High German gebal, but many linguists, including Beekes, treat it as a word of unknown, possibly pre-Greek, origin rather than inherited Indo-European vocabulary. The word survives today as the international scientific prefix 'cephalo-' in words like cephalopod and encephalitis.
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