figurehead(n.)
“leader without real authority”最早在1868年被证明来源于 figure(n.)和 head(n.),also figure-head,最早见于1765年。
You may say that the king is still head of the State, and that this is a sufficient basis for loyal feeling; certainly, if he were really so, and not a mere ornamented figure-head on the ship of state. [James Hadley, "Essays Philological and Critical," London, 1873]
詹姆斯哈德利(James Hadley)在1873年的“语言与批判性论文”(Essays Philological and Critical)中写道,“你可以说国王仍是国家的首领,这足以产生忠诚的感觉。但是,如果他只是国家舰船上装饰的假象,那么这样的忠诚就没有意义了。”
该词起源时间:1765年