chieftain
Use Chieftain in a sentence
tən, -tɪn noun
1.
the chief of a clan or a tribe.
2.
a leader of a group, band, etc.: the robbers' chieftain.
3.
( initial capital letter ) Military. Britain's main battle tank since 1969, fitted with a 120mm gun and two machine guns and weighing 55 tons (50 metric tons).
Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English cheftayne, variant of chevetaine < Old French < Late Latin capitāneus captain
1275–1325; Middle English cheftayne, variant of chevetaine < Old French < Late Latin capitāneus captain
Related forms
chief·tain·cy, chief·tain·ship, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To chieftain
Collins
World English Dictionary
chieftain (ˈtʃiːftən, -tɪn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | the head or leader of a tribe or clan |
| 2. | the chief of a group of people |
| [C14: from Old French chevetaine, from Late Latin capitāneus commander; see | |
| 'chieftaincy | |
| —n | |
| 'chieftainship | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Chieftain
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
chieftain
early 14c., from O.Fr. chevetain, from L.L. capitaneus "commander," from L. capitis, gen. of caput "head" (see head). According to "Rob Roy" (1818) a Highland chieftain was the head of a branch of a clan, a chief was the head of the whole name.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
chieftain
political leader of a social group, such as a band, tribe, or confederacy of tribes. Among many peoples, chiefs have very little coercive authority and depend on community consensus for implementing recommendations; often a number of recognized chiefs form a tribal chiefs' council. Among more advanced preliterate societies, there may be a single paramount tribal chief with coercive authority.
Learn more about chieftain with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
Often the chieftain himself took up the harp and sang, perhaps a little boastfully, of great deeds.
But in this telephone conversation, he's mustering the old corporate-chieftain bravura.
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