noun
- a person who is head of a group, company, etc., in title but actually has no real authority or responsibility: Most modern kings and queens are figureheads.
- Nautical. a carved full-length figure or bust built into the bow of a sailing ship.
noun
- a person nominally having a prominent position, but no real authority
- a carved bust or full-length figure at the upper end of the stems of some sailing vessels
1765, from figure (n.) + head (n.). Originally the ornament on the bow of a ship; sense of “leader without real authority” is first attested 1883.