figurehead

Dictionary: fig·ure·head (fĭg'yər-hĕd') pronunciation

A carved figure on the prow of a ship.
A person given a position of nominal leadership but having no actual authority.

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Wordsmith Words: figurehead

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(FIG-yuhr-hed, FIG-uhr-hed) pronunciation

noun
A person who is head of a group in name only, having no authority or responsibility.

Etymology
The term is derived from the figurative use of the term figurehead which is an ornamental carving, usually of a human figure, on the bow of a ship. From Latin figure (form, shape) + Old English heafod (top of the body)

A picture of a figurehead:

(Image source: BoatNerd.Com)

Usage
"Recent years have seen rectors elected who take a more active role, rather than simply being a figurehead." — Fiona Macleod; Call for 'Student Champion' Rectors to Be Part of All Scots Universities; The Scotsman (Edinburgh, Scotland); Sep 8, 2008.

US Military Dictionary: figurehead

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n. 1. a nominal leader or head without real power.

2. a carving, typically a bust or a full-length figure, set at the prow of an old-fashioned sailing ship.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: figurehead

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(click to enlarge)
Figurehead from the Oseberg ship, Viking, about 800; in the Museum of National Antiquities, (credit: © Universitetets Oldsaksamling, Oslo, Norway; photographer, Eirik Irgens Johnsen)

Ornamental symbol or figure placed on a prominent part of a ship, usually at the bow. It could be a religious symbol, a national emblem, or a figure symbolizing the ship's name. The custom of decorating a ship probably began in ancient Egypt or India and was followed by the Chinese, Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans. As early as 1000 BC, the stem- and sternposts were carved and painted to distinguish one ship from another. The Vikings built ships with high bows and a projecting stem bearing a menacing figurehead, similar to the ships of William I the Conqueror as seen in the Bayeux Tapestry. Figureheads have historically varied in size from 18 in. (45 cm) to 8 – 9 ft (2.5 m). They remained popular until after World War I.

For more information on figurehead, visit Britannica.com.

Columbia Encyclopedia: figurehead

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figurehead, carved decoration usually representing a head or figure placed under the bowsprit of a ship. The art is of extreme antiquity. Ancient galleys and triremes carried rostrums, or beaks, on the bow to ram enemy vessels. These beaks were often surmounted by figureheads representing national or religious emblems. Roman vessels were sometimes embellished with large heads of the gods in bronze. Viking ships had lofty and extended prows which were elaborately carved. Dragons and lions vied with the human form in the figureheads of the Renaissance. During the 18th and 19th cent. a highly developed and original art of figurehead wood carving flourished in the United States at a time when little other sculpture was practiced. Few examples survive. With the disappearance of the sailing vessel figurehead art became practically extinct. A fine collection of American figureheads is in the Mariners' Museum, Newport News, Va.

Wikipedia: Figurehead

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For carved figure at the prow of a ship, see Figurehead (object).

In politics, a figurehead, is a person who holds an important title or office yet executes little actual power, most commonly limited by convention rather than law. The metaphor derives from the carved figurehead at the prow of a sailing ship. Common figureheads include constitutional monarchs, such as: Queen Elizabeth II^[1]^[2] (However The Queen holds all powers of state in her nations, but rarely exercises them), the Emperor of Japan, or presidents in parliamentary democracies, such as the President of Israel.

While the authority of a figurehead is in practice generally symbolic, public opinion, respect for the office or the office holder and access to high levels of government can give them significant influence on events. An example would be Emperor Hirohito's involvement in World War II. In those systems of government where the Head of State is in practice a figurehead, they are also generally the titular commanders in chief of the nation's defence forces, rather than the Head of Government.

Sometimes a figurehead can be exploited in times of emergency. For example, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi used the figurehead President of India to issue unilateral decrees that allowed her to bypass parliament when it no longer supported her.

The word can also have more sinister overtones, and refer to a powerless leader who should be exercising full authority, yet is actually being controlled by a more powerful figure behind the throne.

The tendency of this word to drift, like many words that are in a strong process of changed meanings, into the pejorative is beginning to make it unsuitable to apply to a head of state with limited constitutional authority, such that its use may become increasingly inappropriate in referring to monarchs and presidents in parliamentary systems.

References

^ Constitutional monarchies, by John Bowman, CBC News Online | Oct. 4, 2002
^ On queen's 80th, Britons ask: Is monarchy licked?, by Jeffrey Stinson, USA Today, | May 3, 2006 @5:22 PM ET

		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wordsmith Words. © 2009 Wordsmith.org. All rights reserved. Read more
		US Military Dictionary. The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. Copyright © 2001, 2002 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more
		Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Figurehead". Read more
		Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more

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figurehead

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