chieftain

American  

[cheef-tuhn, -tin] / ˈtʃif tən, -tɪn /

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).

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chieftain British  

/ ˈtʃiːftən, -tɪn /

noun

1. the head or leader of a tribe or clan

2. the chief of a group of people

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Other Word Forms

• chieftaincy noun
• chieftainship noun

Etymology

Origin of chieftain

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

Example Sentences

The Narmer Palette, a ceremonial engraving that dates to the time of the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt about 5,000 years ago, shows the beheading and mutilation of what were apparently rival chieftains.

From New York Times

And it’s unclear whether corporate chieftains would view a possible strike as a way, at least in the short term, to save money on production costs.

From Los Angeles Times

Zaslav has long ranked among the highest paid corporate chieftains in America, even when he ran the relatively small cable programming company, Discovery.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s a bet by Carlyle that it has finally found the right leader — and a chance for Mr. Schwartz to finally become a Wall Street chieftain, after losing a succession race at his former employer.

From New York Times

It gives us, superbly, the Mafia-dominated Sicily of 1901, from which the don-to-be flees as a small boy after his father, older brother and mother have been murdered by the village chieftain.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bigwig
• boss
• tribal chief