Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Origin: headling 'head-first' (14-17 centuries), from head + -ling 'in a particular direction'

headlong

 adverb
     
head‧long
1

rush/plunge headlong into something

if you rush headlong into something, you start doing it too quickly without thinking carefully
2 with your head first and the rest of your body following [= headfirst]:
I fell headlong into a pool of icy water.
3 very quickly, without looking where you are going:
Mortimer almost ran headlong into a patrol.
—headlong adjective
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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