headquarter
headquarter Lexical Profile
headquarter Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To establish or locate the main office or center of operations of an organization in a particular place (usually used in the passive).
"The multinational logistics firm is headquartered in Geneva, with regional hubs across Asia and North America."
• noun
The main administrative center, chief office, or center of operations of an organization, company, or military force (most commonly used in the plural form 'headquarters' or attributively before another noun).
"The reorganization required several departments to relocate to the new headquarter building downtown."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a noun, the plural form 'headquarters' (used with either a singular or plural verb) is standard, while the singular 'headquarter' is primarily used attributively before another noun (e.g., 'headquarter staff'). As a verb, 'headquarter' is most commonly used in the passive voice ('is headquartered in').
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the early 20th century as a back-formation from the plural noun 'headquarters', which dates to the 17th century as a compound of 'head' (chief) and 'quarters' (military lodgings or station).