chief

== English == === Etymology === 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. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /t͡ʃiːf/ Rhymes: -iːf === Noun === chief (plural chiefs) The leader or head of a tribe, organisation, business unit, or other group. [from 13th c.] Synonyms: leader, head, director, commander, governor, boss, administrator, manager (uncountable, only with "in") Headship, the status of being a chief or leader. (heraldry) 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. [from 15th c.] The principal part or top of anything. (sometimes ironic) An informal term of address. (offensive) An informal term of address for a Native American or First Nations man. ==== Synonyms ==== chieftain See also Thesaurus:boss ==== Hyponyms ==== chiefess, chieftess (female chief) ==== Derived terms ==== English terms starting with “chief” ==== Related terms ==== captain chef chieftain ==== Descendants ==== → Japanese: チーフ (chīfu) → Swahili: chifu ==== Translations ==== === Adjective === chief (comparative chiefer or more chief, superlative chiefest or most chief) Primary; principal. (Scotland) Intimate, friendly. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Verb === chief (third-person singular simple present chiefs, present participle chiefing, simple past and past participle chiefed) (slang) To smoke cannabis. === See also === === References === “chief v.2”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present. === Anagrams === cheif, fiche, fiché == Middle English == === Noun === chief alternative form of chef === Adjective === chief alternative form of chef == Middle French == === Etymology === From Old French chief. === Noun === chief m (plural chiefs) head ==== Descendants ==== French: chef (see there for further descendants) == Old French == === Alternative forms === cap (Occitanism found in La Vie de Saint Léger, circa 980) chef, cief === Etymology === First known attestation 881 in The Sequence of Saint Eulalia. From Vulgar Latin capus, from Latin caput. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈtʃjeːf/ === Noun === chief oblique singular, m (oblique plural chiés, nominative singular chiés, nominative plural chief) (anatomy) head leader, chief front (foremost side of something) ==== Descendants ==== Middle French: chiefFrench: chef (see there for further descendants) Norman: chef → Middle English: chefEnglish: chief (see there for further descendants)Scots: chief → Old Spanish: xefe Spanish: jefe, gefe (obsolete), xefe (pre-1815)→ Cebuano: hepe→ Central Bikol: hepe→ English: jefe→ Tagalog: hepe → Asturian: xefe → Galician: xefe → Portuguese: chefe