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loggerhead

/ˈlɒɡəhɛd/ noun

In Latin: stultus, stulta, stultum Coined: a coined word Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about loggerhead at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. A stupid person; a blockhead, a dolt.
  2. A metal tool consisting of a long rod with a bulbous end that is made hot in a fire, then plunged into some material (such as pitch or a liquid) to melt or heat it.
  3. A post on a whaling boat used to secure the harpoon rope.

Origin

From logger (“(dialectal) heavy wooden block secured to a horse's leg to prevent it from straying”) + head. Logger was apparently coined because its sound connotes a clumsy, heavy object; compare log (“trunk of a dead tree; bulky piece of wood”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)