chief
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /t͡ʃiːf/
rhymes: -iːf
Forms: form: chiefs
Etymology: From Middle English cheef, chef, from Old French chef, chief (“leader”), from Vulgar Latin capus, from Latin caput (“head”) (from which also captain, chieftain), from Proto-Italic *kaput, from Proto-Indo-European *káput.
Doublet of cape (“point of land”), capo, caput, and chef through Latin (possibly also related to cape (“sleeveless garment”) and cap (“head covering”) from Latin cappa); doublet of head and Howth through Proto-Indo-European.
Senses: examples: text: In virtue of this privilege, in testimony of my affectionate respect for a revered chief, in conformity with what I believe to be the wish of all the Members of the scientific department, over which I have the honour to preside, and to perpetuate the memory of that illustrious master of accurate geographical research, I have determined to name this noble peak of the Himalayas ‘Mont Everest.’
ref: 1857 May 11 [1856 March 1], A. S. Waugh, Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of London, page 346:
text: My father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, was a chief by both blood and custom.
ref: 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, London: Abacus, published 2010, page 4:
text: All firefighters report to the fire chief.
synonyms: leader
head
director
commander
governor
boss
administrator
manager
glosses: The leader or head of a tribe, organisation, business unit, or other group.
examples: text: Bob is our troubleshooter in chief.
glosses: Headship, the status of being a chief or leader.
raw_tags: with "in"
examples: text: When the Chief is Charged with any figure, in blazon it is said to be "On a Chief".
ref: 1889, Charles Norton Elvin, A Dictionary of Heraldry:
text: The shield was silver, charged with a red cross voided (that is, with the centre cut out and only the edges left), between in chief (that is, above the horizontal limb of the cross) two black dragon's wings, and in base two red daggers, and in the centre of the cross a black winged helmet; on a red chief (a broad band across the top of the shield), a silver pale (a broad vertical band), and thereon eight black arrows crossed X-wise, four and four, and encircled with a black band, between on the dexter three bendlets (narrow bands slanting from dexter chief to sinister base) enhanced (that is, raised above the centre), and on the sinister a fleur-de-lis, all of gold.
ref: 1956 July, Col. H. C. B. Rogers, “Railway Heraldry”, in Railway Magazine, page 479:
topics: government
heraldry
hobbies
lifestyle
monarchy
nobility
politics
glosses: The top part of a shield or escutcheon; more specifically, an ordinary consisting of the upper part of the field cut off by a horizontal line, generally occupying the top third.
glosses: The principal part or top of anything.
examples: text: “How old are you, chief?” the elevator guy said.
ref: 1951 July 16, J[erome] D[avid] Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, →OCLC, page 119:
glosses: An informal term of address.
glosses: An informal term of address.
An informal term of address for a Native American or First Nations man.
Synonyms: chieftain
Hyponyms: word: chiefess
english: female chief
translation: female chief
word: chieftess
Derived terms: sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: air chief marshal
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: arch-chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: archchief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: assistant chief constable
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: band chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: base chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: big white chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: case-in-chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: case in chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: champion-in-chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: champion in chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief cell
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief constable
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief cook and bottle-washer
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief cook and bottle washer
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chiefdom
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief editor
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chiefery
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chiefess
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief executive
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief executive officer
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: CEO
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief experience officer
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief financial officer
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief hare
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chiefhood
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chiefie
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief information officer
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief judge
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief justice
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief-justice
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief legal officer
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chiefless
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chiefling
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief lord
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chiefly
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief magistrate
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief mate
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief medical advisor
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief medical officer
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief minister
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chiefness
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief of party
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief of police
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief of staff
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief of state
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief operating officer
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief petty officer
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief petty officer first class
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief petty officer second class
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief priest
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief rent
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chiefry
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief scientist
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chiefship
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief super
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief technical officer
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief technological officer
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief technology officer
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chieftess
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: chief warrant officer
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: cochief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: commander-in-chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: commander in chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: condoled chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: crew chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: deputy chief constable
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: dexter chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: editor in chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: editor-in-chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: examination-in-chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: fire chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: in chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: master chief petty officer
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: master chief warrant officer
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: overchief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: paramount chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: per chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: police chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: redactor-in-chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: senior chief petty officer
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: senior chief warrant officer
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: subchief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: tenant-in-chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: too many chiefs and not enough Indians
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: tribal chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: umpire-in-chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: underchief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: vassal-in-chief
sense: Terms derived from chief (noun)
word: war chief
Related terms: captain
chef
chieftain