 in the <a href="#def_repository">repository</a>.</p>
</dd>
<dt class="hdlist1"><a id="def_detached_HEAD"></a>detached HEAD</dt>
<dd>
<p>Normally the <a href="#def_HEAD">HEAD</a> stores the name of a
<a href="#def_branch">branch</a>, and commands that operate on the
history HEAD represents operate on the history leading to the
tip of the branch the HEAD points at.  However, Git also
allows you to <a href="#def_checkout">check out</a> an arbitrary
<a href="#def_commit">commit</a> that isn&#8217;t necessarily