Haupt (German word)

In German, Haupt in the broadest sense means something on the top of a hierarchy.

Regarding the human body, the usage of Haupt for the head is considered antiquated or poetic, Kopf is being used instead. But Haupt still appears in figures of speech, as in compounds (Hauptbahnhof, Hauptmann, Hauptschule, Hauptwohnsitz) where its meaning is sometimes similar to the usage of the English main (e.g. Hauptreaktor = main reactor) but for example Hauptstadt is the Capital city and Hauptfigur is the Leading actor.

Also, Haupt describes the most important person or element of a group:

Derived from Haupt are Häuptling ("chieftain") and Enthauptung ("beheading").