[cheef-tuh
n, -tin] 
| 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 m tons). |
| chief·tain (chēf'tən) n. The leader or head of a group, especially of a clan or tribe. [Middle English cheftain, from Old French chevetain, from Late Latin capitāneus, from Latin caput, head; see kaput- in Indo-European roots.] chief'tain·cy n., chief'tain·ship' n. |
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.
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