śíras n. (prob. originally śaras = karas; and connected with karaṅka, q.v.) the head, skull (acc. with √ dā, ‘to give up one's head i.e. life’; with √ dhṛ, or √ vah, ‘to hold up one's head, be proud’; with Caus. of √ vṛt or with upa-√ sthā, ‘to hold out the head’, ‘acknowledge one's self guilty’, see śiropasthāyin; instr. with √ grah, √ dhā, √ dhṛ, vi-√ dhṛ, √ bhṛ, √ vah, or √ kṛ, ‘to hold or carry or place on the head, receive deferentially’; instr. with √ gam, abhi-√ gam, pra-√ grah, √ yā, pra-ṇam [√ nam], ni-√ pat, pra-ṇi-√ pat, ‘to touch with the head, bow or fall down before’; loc. with √ kṛ or ni-√ dhā, ‘to place on one's head’; loc. with √ sthā, ‘to be on or stand over a person's head, stand far above [gen.]’), [RV.] &c. &c.
the upper end or highest part of anything, top, peak, summit, pinnacle, acme, [MBh.]; [Kāv.] &c.
the forepart or van (of an army), [Śiś.]
the beginning (of a verse), [VarBṛS.]
(ifc.) the head, leader, chief, foremost, first (of a class), [BhP.]
N. of the verse āpo jyotir āpo 'mṛtam, [Baudh.]; [Viṣṇ.] &c.
of a Sāman (also with indrasya), [ĀrṣBr.]; [Lāṭy.]
of a mountain, [Buddh.]
[cf. śīrṣan; Gk. κέρας, κάρη &c.; Lat. cerebrum for ceresrum, cornu; Germ. hirni, Hirn; Eng. horn.]