ˈpoppy-ˈhead
1. The capsule of the poppy. Also attrib.
| 1585 Higins Junius' Nomencl. 112/2 The seuerall places wherein the seedes doe lye, as may be seene in poppie heades. 1650 R. Stapylton Strada's Low C. Warres i. 14 He [Death] cropt the heads of Nations, as Tarquin struk off the Poppy-heads. 1822–34 Good's Study Med. (ed. 4) II, Poppy-head fomentations. 1896 Allbutt's Syst. Med. I. 435 Made with decoction of boiling poppy-heads. |
2. Arch. An ornamental finial, often richly carved, at the top of the end of a seat in a church. Also attrib. [See remark in poppy n. 7.]
| 1839 Hints Eccl. Antiq. (Camb. Camden Soc.) 8 St. Andrew's, Histon..viii. Ornaments, &c...8. Poppy Heads. 1841 C. Anderson Anc. Models 129 These seats have the ends usually ornamented, sometimes with raised ends, which are called poppy-heads. 1875 J. C. Cox Ch. Derbysh. I. 202 The poppy-head ends..carved in the fleur-de-lis pattern. 1904 T. H. Longfield in Athenæum 9 Apr. 473/3 Many remains..of poppyhead bench-ends and benches. |