Link Centre Dictionary

chieftain

chief·tain

UK/ˈt͡ʃiːf.tən/ US/ˈt͡ʃiːf.tɪn/ uncommon

noun

1.

the leader of a group of people

  • “a captain of industry”
Synonyms
2.

the head of a tribe or clan

Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English cheveteyn, cheftayne, from Old French chevetaine, from Late Latin capitaneus (English captain), from Latin caput (“head”), from Proto-Indo-European *kauput- (English head), itself from Proto-Indo-European *kap-. Doublet of captain; related to chief.

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.