What Does Pot Head Mean?
“Pothead”, “pot head” or “pot-head” is a slang and derogatory word for a frequent user of marijuana. While there is no exact quantification of “how much” it can often be assumed that a “pothead” smokes marijuana on a regular basis.
The word “head” in this context is often used in conjunction with other drug names, such as “cokehead”, “crackhead”, “meth-head”, etc. and is intended to imply “a user of…” The term “pothead” has been in existence since at least the 1930s, with a consistent meaning.
It's usually reserved for individuals who smoke marijuana to the point where it interferes with some other aspect of their daily life as opposed to an occasional or recreational user.
Maximum Yield Explains Pot Head
Though there are several hypotheses on the origin of the term “pothead” there is no one agreed upon etymology. Some possible origins of the phrase, though none of them can be substantially qualified include:
- A derivation of the Spanish term for a marijuana infused wine called “potacion de guaya.”
- A play on the word “pod” referring to the seed pod of the cannabis plant.
- A derivation from the word “teapot” given a similarity in appearance between dried tea leaves and dried cannabis leaves.
- A synecdoche for a potted cannabis plant where a part of it is colloquially understood to represent the whole.
- A derivation of the phrase “gone to pot” in reference to the effects of smoking cannabis.
- A vessel used for the consumption of opium was sometimes referred to as a “pot” and it could have come to mean any consumption of drugs by way of inhalation.
