Associations to the word «Figurehead»

Wiktionary

FIGUREHEAD, noun. (nautical) A carved figure on the prow of a sailing ship.
FIGUREHEAD, noun. (by extension) Someone in a nominal position of leadership who has no actual power; a front or front man.

Dictionary definition

FIGUREHEAD, noun. A person used as a cover for some questionable activity.
FIGUREHEAD, noun. Figure on the bow of some sailing vessels.

Wise words

Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.
Nathaniel Hawthorne