A compound from idle + head; compare idleheaded.
Formed from idle + head
Proto-Germanic *īdlaz
Proto-West Germanic *īdl ‘void, empty, ineffective’
Old English īdel ‘empty, void’
Middle English idel
English idle
Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘head’
…
Proto-Germanic *haubudą ‘head’
Proto-West Germanic *haubud
Old English hēafod ‘head’
Middle English heed ‘head’
English head
The story
A compound from idle + head; compare idleheaded.
Today it means
noun One who is vain and foolish.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / idlehead
Shirt and support for this word