chief   (chēf)    n.   One who is highest in rank or authority; a leader. A chief petty officer. Nautical The chief engineer of a ship. Slang A boss. Heraldry The upper section of a shield. The most important or valuable part. adj.   Highest in rank, authority, or office. Most important or influential. See Usage Note at absolute. adv.   Archaic Chiefly. [Middle English chef, from Old French, from Latin caput, head; see kaput- in Indo-European roots.] chief'dom n., chief'ship' n. Synonyms: These adjectives refer to what is first in rank or in importance. Chief applies to a person of the highest authority: a chief magistrate. Used figuratively, chief implies maximum importance or value: her chief joy. Principal applies to someone or something of the first order in power or significance: their principal source of entertainment. Main applies to what exceeds others in extent, size, or importance: the main building on the campus. Leading suggests personal magnetism, a record of achievement, or capacity for influencing others: one of the leading physicians of the city. Foremost emphasizes the sense of having forged ahead of others: the foremost research scientist of the day. Primary stresses first in the sense of origin, sequence, or development: primary school. It can also mean first in the sense of "fundamental": the primary function of this machine. Prime applies to what is first in comparison with others and to what is of the best quality: a theory of prime significance; a prime Burgundy.

Chief

Chief\ (ch[=e]n), n. [OE. chief, chef, OF. chief, F. chef, fr. L. caput head, possibly akin to E. head. Cf. Captain, Chapter]

1. The head or leader of any body of men; a commander, as of an army; a head man, as of a tribe, clan, or family; a person in authority who directs the work of others; the principal actor or agent.

2. The principal part; the most valuable portion.

The chief of the things which should be utterly destroyed. --1 Sam. xv. 21

3. (Her.) The upper third part of the field. It is supposed to be composed of the dexter, sinister, and middle chiefs.

In chief. (a) At the head; as, a commander in chief. (b) (Eng. Law) From the king, or sovereign; as, tenure in chief, tenure directly from the king.

Syn: Chieftain; captain; general; commander; leader; head; principal; sachem; sagamore; sheik.

Usage: Chief, chieftain, Commander, Leader. These words fluctuate somewhat in their meaning according to circumstances, but agree in the general idea of rule and authority. The term chief is now more usually applied to one who is a head man, leader, or commander in civil or military affairs, or holds a hereditary or acquired rank in a tribe or clan; as, the chief of police; the chief of an Indian tribe. A chieftain is the chief of a clan or tribe, or a military leader. A commander directs the movements of or has control over a body of men, as a military or naval force. A leader is one whom men follow, as in a political party, a legislative body, a military or scientific expedition, etc., one who takes the command and gives direction in particular enterprises.

chief