headworks
|head-works|
🇺🇸
/ˈhɛd.wɝks/
🇬🇧
/ˈhɛd.wɜːks/
(headwork)
structures at the head (intake/inlet)
Etymology
'headworks' originates from the English compound of 'head' and 'works', where 'head' derives from Old English 'heafod' meaning 'top' or 'head', and 'works' derives from Old English 'weorc' meaning 'work' or 'structure'.
'head' developed from Old English 'heafod' and 'works' from Old English 'weorc' (Middle English 'werk'), and the compound 'headworks' arose in modern English to denote industrial or hydraulic installations located at the 'head' (upstream/entry) of a system.
Initially the elements meant 'top/head' and 'work/structure'; over time the compound came to refer specifically to the functional installations at the head (entry) of water or wastewater systems.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the intake structures or works at the head of a water-supply system, canal, dam, or reservoir that control, divert, or regulate the flow of water.
The city's headworks were upgraded to improve water quality and capacity.
Synonyms
Noun 2
the preliminary treatment section at the entrance of a wastewater-treatment plant where coarse screening, grit removal, and flow measurement take place.
At the wastewater plant, the headworks remove large debris and grit before biological treatment.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/09 13:26