Etymology of the English word chieftain
the English word
chieftainderived from the Old French word
chevetainederived from the Latin word
capitaneus (captain; large, chief in size; capital)
derived 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)
derived from the Old French word
chevetainderived from the Latin word
capitaneus (captain; large, chief in size; capital)
derived 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 chieftain in English dates from the 14th century.
Cognates
Catalan
capitá, Dutch
kapitein, English
captain, French
capitaine, French
capitain, German
Kapitän, Italian
capitano, Latin
capitaneus, Lithuanian
kapitonas, Norwegian
kaptein, Polish
kapitan, Portuguese
capitão, Russian
кaпитaн, Spanish
capitán, Spanish
capitan, Swedish
kaptenUsage
Word found in Modern English
