Etymology of the English word chief
the English word
chiefderived from the Old French word
chefderived from the Old French word
chiefderived from the Latin word
caput (head; small head; head; head; head; head; person; life; heading; chapter, principal division)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*kaput- (head)
Date
The earliest known usage of chief in English dates from the 13th century.
Derivations in English
chiefdom,
chieflyCognates
Dutch
chef, Dutch
kaap, French
cap, French
chef, German
Chef, German
Kap, Italian
capo, Norwegian
sjef, Provençal
cap, Spanish
cabo, Spanish
xefe, Swedish
chef, Swedish
kapUsage
Word found in Modern English
