chief
Part of speech: noun
adj
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: government
heraldry
hobbies
lifestyle
monarchy
nobility
politics
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *kap-
Proto-Indo-European *káput
Proto-Italic *kaput
Latin caput
Vulgar Latin capus
Old French chiefbor.
Middle English chef
English chief
Inherited from Middle English chef, borrowed from Old French chief, from Vulgar Latin capus, from Latin caput, from Proto-Italic *kaput, from Proto-Indo-European *káput, from *kap-.
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.
Inflected forms:
form: chiefs
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: chiefer
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: more chief
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: chiefest
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: most chief
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: chiefs
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: chiefing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: chiefed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: chiefed
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: The leader or head of a tribe, organisation, business unit, or other group.
pos: noun
examples: 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.’
My father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, was a chief by both blood and custom.
All firefighters report to the fire chief.
gloss: Headship, the status of being a chief or leader.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
examples: Bob is our troubleshooter in chief.
gloss: 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.
pos: noun
examples: When the Chief is Charged with any figure, in blazon it is said to be "On a Chief".
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.
gloss: The principal part or top of anything.
pos: noun
gloss: An informal term of address.
pos: noun
tags: ironic
sometimes
examples: “How old are you, chief?” the elevator guy said.
gloss: An informal term of address.
pos: noun
tags: ironic
offensive
sometimes
gloss: Primary; principal.
pos: adj
examples: Negligence was the chief cause of the disaster.
[…] But when we find that they [volcanoes] are but few in Number, and the chiefeſt of thoſe too near the torrid Zone, and from their Tops to iſſue forth, now clear Fire, then thick, black Smoke, and ſometimes little or nothing at all; we muſt conclude, that they are only particular Fires, probably of the Sun’s kindling at firſt, and ſince continued by the caſual and incidental Applications of that Pabulum, which thoſe Part of the Earth adminiſter to them.
Researchers found that one of the chief effects of drinking was to reduce people's ability to monitor their own behavior.
gloss: Intimate, friendly.
pos: adj
tags: Scotland
examples: 'You’re doing it because she was your friend, not because she was a parishioner, and certainly not because of the Declaratory Articles,' Macmurray said, pushing himself forward on his seat. 'Everybody knows how chief you and she were. It was an unfitting relationship for a minister while she was alive, and it is equally unfitting for you to do her a favour like this now she's dead.'
gloss: To smoke cannabis.
pos: verb
tags: slang
Synonyms: chieftain
Related words: captain
chieftain
chef
Derived words: archchief
arch-chief
band chief
base chief
big white chief
case-in-chief
case in chief
champion-in-chief
champion in chief
chiefdom
chiefery
chiefess
chief hare
chiefhood
chiefie
chiefless
chiefling
chiefly
chief of party
chief of police
chief of staff
chief of state
chief rent
chiefry
chiefship
chieftess
cochief
commander in chief
commander-in-chief
condoled chief
crew chief
dexter chief
editor in chief
editor-in-chief
examination-in-chief
fire chief
in chief
overchief
paramount chief
per chief
police chief
redactor-in-chief
subchief
tenant-in-chief
too many chiefs and not enough Indians
tribal chief
umpire-in-chief
underchief
vassal-in-chief
war chief
air chief marshal
assistant chief constable
chief cell
chief constable
chief cook and bottle washer
chief cook and bottle-washer
chief editor
chief executive
chief executive officer
CEO
chief experience officer
chief financial officer
chief information officer
chief inspector
chief judge
chief justice
chief-justice
chief legal officer
chief lord
chief magistrate
chief mate
chief medical advisor
chief medical officer
chief minister
chiefness
chief operating officer
chief people officer
chief petty officer
chief petty officer first class
chief petty officer second class
chief priest
chief scientist
chief super
chief superintendent
chief technical officer
chief technological officer
chief technology officer
chief warrant officer
deputy chief constable
master chief petty officer
master chief warrant officer
senior chief petty officer
senior chief warrant officer
Translations:
lang: Finnish
word: johtaja
lang: Galician
word: xefe
lang: Icelandic
word: meistari
lang: Russian
word: команди́р
roman: komandír