pothead

English

Etymology

From pot (“marijuana”) +‎ -head. First sense appears c. 1957 in the writings of Jack Gelber. Third sense appears c. 1639. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “what is the date/origin of the second sense?”)

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Noun

pothead (plural potheads)

1. (slang, derogatory) A person who smokes cannabis frequently, or to excess.

   Synonyms: grasshopper, stoner, weedhead

   Hypernyms: (all derogatory) druggie, drughead, junkhead, junkie, user, abuser; see also Thesaurus:addict

   Coordinate terms: (all derogatory) cokehead, crackhead, methhead, pillhead

   That pothead Shane has a nasty bong.

   • 2024 October 1, Erin Somers, “Cannabis Has Become Upscale Chic. I Miss the Old Red-Eyed Stoners.”, in The New York Times‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:

     With the exception of college campuses — where I suspect you’ll be able to find Bob Marley posters for as long as dorms exist — it feels as if the old stoner subculture, the classic pothead aesthetic, has been almost eliminated from mainstream consciousness.

     (Can we archive this URL?)

2. (chiefly Canada) An electric motor's terminal connection or wiring box.

   Synonyms: pecker, T-box, peckerhead

3. (slang, derogatory, obsolete) A stupid individual; a fool. (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)

Translations

a person who smokes cannabis frequently

• Bengali: গাঁজাখোর (bn) (gãjakhōr)
• Czech: vyhulenec (cs)
• Dutch: potroker, mariuhanaroker
• Finnish: pilviveikko, blossipää
• German: Kiffer (de) m, Kifferin (de) f
• Portuguese: maconheiro (pt) m, maconheira (pt) f
• Russian: травоку́р (ru) m (travokúr), планоку́р m (planokúr)
• Spanish: fumeta m or f, porreta f, marihuanero (es) m, motero m, fumanchero (es) m
• Turkish: esrarkeş (tr)