chieftain

[cheef-tuhn, -tin]

noun

1. the chief of a clan or a tribe.

2. a leader of a group, band, etc..

   the robbers' chieftain.

3. Military.,  Chieftain, Britain's main battle tank since 1969, fitted with a 120 mm gun and two machine guns and weighing 55 tons (50 metric tons).

chieftain

/ ˈtʃiːftən, -tɪn /

noun

1. the head or leader of a tribe or clan

2. the chief of a group of people

Other Word Forms

• chieftaincy noun
• chieftainship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of chieftain¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English cheftayne, variant of chevetaine, from Old French, from Late Latin capitāneus “chief”; captain

Word History and Origins

Origin of chieftain¹

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

Example Sentences

All of this—the building, the branding, the energy evident in the city and its corporate chieftains—caught the eye of a young artist who had recently moved to New York.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

On the other hand, the possibly revolutionary impact from artificial intelligence argues that maybe it is still early days, no matter how abrasively these chieftains behave.

Read more on MarketWatch

Crypto kings, billionaires needing agency approvals, felons buying pardons, AI chieftains on the prowl.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Porter’s national prominence grew when, during congressional hearings, she grilled Trump administration officials and corporate chieftains using her whiteboard to make esoteric policy understandable.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

During the reign of King James I, nearly all agricultural land in Ulster was confiscated from native Irish chieftains and delivered to new owners, required to be English-speaking Protestants loyal to the crown.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• bigwig 
• boss 
• tribal chief www.thesaurus.com