acephalic

adjective5

1. •
   Without a head.

   • […] two acephalic sardines in mustard sauce are asleep in the rank darkness of their tin container. — 1990
2. •
   Without a leader.

   • […] he endeavours not only to shew that the English Church was Acephalic, that is, without a Head; but also Autocephalic, that is under its own proper Jurisdiction only […] — 1688
3. •
   (old-fashioned) Characterized by a migraine aura without pain.
4. •
   Deficient in the beginning, as a line of poetry that is missing its expected opening syllable.

   • The acephalic pentameters yield to tetrameters with a starting dactyl or anapest […] — 1988
5. •
   Lacking the first portion of the text. (of a manuscript)

   • All the texts, with the exception of the acephalic Homiletic Fragment I, begin with a large, plain capital letter […] — 2014