deadhead
UK[ˈdɛdhɛd]US[ˈdɛdhɛd]
n
A passenger or member of an audience who travels or attends without paying
n
A person who follows the rock band the Grateful Dead to many of their concerts
n
A dull or unenterprising person
n
A sunken or partially submerged log
v
To remove dead flower heads from a plant to encourage further blooming
v
To travel as a non-paying passenger
Morpheme Breakdown
dead
head
dead
lifeless, deceased.
head
top of the body, chief part.
Etymology
The compound 'deadhead' is a straightforward combination of two common Germanic nouns. Its literal sense, a "dead head" or "lifeless top," was applied in the 19th century to describe a sunken log, its blunt end resembling a lifeless head floating in the water. This concrete image was then metaphorically extended to people, first denoting a dull or stupid person (a "blockhead"), and later a non-paying passenger or spectator, implying uselessness or a lack of vitality. The specific subcultural meaning, a devoted follower of the Grateful Dead, emerged in the 1970s, playfully adopting the earlier term for a non-paying traveler to describe fans who followed the band on tour.
Analysis
Structure: dead + head
dead: From Old English dēad, meaning "lifeless, deceased." Germanic origin.
head: From Old English hēafod, meaning "top of the body, chief part." Germanic origin.
Examples
The bus driver allowed the off-duty colleague to deadhead back to the depot.
As an avid deadhead, she had seen the band perform over fifty times.
Remember to deadhead the roses regularly to promote new blooms throughout the summer.