English

headtorch

From head + torch.

A compound of head + torch

Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘head’

…

Proto-Germanic *haubudą ‘head’

Proto-West Germanic *haubud

Old English hēafod ‘head’

Middle English heed ‘head’

English head

Old French torche ‘bundle’

Middle English torch ‘large candle’

English torch

Today it means

noun A torch (flashlight) worn on the head, thus leaving the hands free.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / headtorch