κεφαλή
I. "the head" of man or beast, Hom., etc.; κατὰ κεφαλῆς, epic κὰκ κεφαλῆς, over "the head", id=Hom.; κὰκ κεφαλήν "on the head", Il.:— ἐς πόδας ἐκ κεφαλῆς from "head" to foot, id=Il.:— ἐπὶ κεφαλήν "head foremost, head downwards, headlong", Hdt., Plat., etc.
2. "the head", put for the whole person, Hom.; ἶσον ἐμῇ κεφαλῇ like myself, Il.; φίλη κ., Lat. carum caput, id=Il.: in bad sense, ὦ κακαὶ κεφαλαί Hdt.; ὦ μιαρὰ κ. Ar.
3. "the head", i. e. "the life", παρθέμενοι κεφαλάς setting "their heads" on the cast, Od.:—in imprecations, ἐς κεφαλὴν τρέποιτ᾽ ἐμοί on my "head" be it! Ar., etc.
II. generally, κ. σκορόδου "a head" of garlic, id=Ar.: "the top or brim" of a vessel, Theocr.: "the coping" of a wall, Xen.:—in pl. "the head or source" of a river, Hdt.
III. metaph., like κεφάλαιον, "the crown, completion" of a thing, Plat.