chieftain

[ cheef-tuh n, -tin ]
/ ˈtʃif tən, -tɪn /

noun

the chief of a clan or a tribe.
a leader of a group, band, etc.: the robbers' chieftain.
(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 of chieftain

1275–1325; Middle English cheftayne, variant of chevetaine < Old French < Late Latin capitāneus captain

OTHER WORDS FROM chieftain

chief·tain·cy, chief·tain·ship, noun

Words nearby chieftain

chief rabbi, chief technician, chief warrant officer, chiefdom, chiefly, chieftain, chiel, chield, chiengmai, chiffchaff, chiffon

Example sentences from the Web for chieftaincy

British Dictionary definitions for chieftaincy

chieftain
/ (ˈtʃiːftən, -tɪn) /

noun

the head or leader of a tribe or clan
the chief of a group of people

Derived forms of chieftain

chieftaincy or chieftainship, noun

Word Origin for chieftain

C14: from Old French chevetaine, from Late Latin capitāneus commander; see captain