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Chief

//t͡ʃiːf// adj, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Primary; principal.

    "Negligence was the chief cause of the disaster."

  2. 2
    Intimate, friendly. Scotland

    "'You’re doing it because she was your friend, not because she was a parishioner, and certainly not because of the Declaratory Articles,' Macmurray said, pushing himself forward on his seat. 'Everybody knows how chief you and she were. It was an unfitting relationship for a minister while she was alive, and it is equally unfitting for you to do her a favour like this now she's dead.'"

Adjective
  1. 1
    most important element wordnet
Noun
  1. 1
    The leader or head of a tribe, organisation, business unit, or other group.

    "In virtue of this privilege, in testimony of my affectionate respect for a revered chief, in conformity with what I believe to be the wish of all the Members of the scientific department, over which I have the honour to preside, and to perpetuate the memory of that illustrious master of accurate geographical research, I have determined to name this noble peak of the Himalayas ‘Mont Everest.’"

  2. 2
    a person who exercises control over workers wordnet
  3. 3
    Headship, the status of being a chief or leader. uncountable

    "Bob is our troubleshooter in chief."

  4. 4
    a person who is in charge wordnet
  5. 5
    The top part of a shield or escutcheon; more specifically, an ordinary consisting of the upper part of the field cut off by a horizontal line, generally occupying the top third.

    "When the Chief is Charged with any figure, in blazon it is said to be "On a Chief"."

Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    a head of a tribe or clan wordnet
  2. 7
    The principal part or top of anything.
  3. 8
    An informal term of address. ironic, sometimes

    "“How old are you, chief?” the elevator guy said."

  4. 9
    An informal term of address.; An informal term of address for a Native American or First Nations man. ironic, offensive, sometimes
Verb
  1. 1
    To smoke cannabis. slang

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English cheef, chef, from Old French chef, chief (“leader”), from Vulgar Latin capus, from Latin caput (“head”) (from which also captain, chieftain), from Proto-Italic *kaput, from Proto-Indo-European *káput. Doublet of cape (“point of land”), capo, caput, and chef through Latin (possibly also related to cape (“sleeveless garment”) and cap (“head covering”) from Latin cappa); doublet of head and Howth through Proto-Indo-European.

Etymology 2

From Middle English cheef, chef, from Old French chef, chief (“leader”), from Vulgar Latin capus, from Latin caput (“head”) (from which also captain, chieftain), from Proto-Italic *kaput, from Proto-Indo-European *káput. Doublet of cape (“point of land”), capo, caput, and chef through Latin (possibly also related to cape (“sleeveless garment”) and cap (“head covering”) from Latin cappa); doublet of head and Howth through Proto-Indo-European.

Etymology 3

From Middle English cheef, chef, from Old French chef, chief (“leader”), from Vulgar Latin capus, from Latin caput (“head”) (from which also captain, chieftain), from Proto-Italic *kaput, from Proto-Indo-European *káput. Doublet of cape (“point of land”), capo, caput, and chef through Latin (possibly also related to cape (“sleeveless garment”) and cap (“head covering”) from Latin cappa); doublet of head and Howth through Proto-Indo-European.

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