captain
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About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.1cap·tain
noun \ˈkap-tən also ˈkap-əm\Definition of CAPTAIN
1
a (1) : a military leader : the commander of a unit or a body of troops (2) : a subordinate officer commanding under a sovereign or general (3) : a commissioned officer in the army, air force, or marine corps ranking above a first lieutenant and below a major b (1) : a naval officer who is master or commander of a ship (2) : a commissioned officer in the navy ranking above a commander and below a commodore and in the coast guard ranking above a commander and below a rear admiral c : a senior pilot who commands the crew of an airplane d : an officer in a police department or fire department in charge of a unit (as a precinct or company) and usually ranking above a lieutenant and below a chief
2
: one who leads or supervises: as a : a leader of a sports team or side b : headwaiter c : a person in charge of hotel bellhops —called also bell captain
3
: a person of importance or influence in a field <captains of industry>
— cap·tain·cy \ˈkap-tən-sē\ noun
— cap·tain·ship \-ˌship\ noun
See Examples of CAPTAIN
- The captain has turned off the “fasten seat belt” sign.
- <the captain is responsible for everything that happens to his ship in the course of a voyage>
Origin of CAPTAIN
Middle English capitane, from Anglo-French capitain, from Late Latin capitaneus, adjective & noun, chief, from Latin capit-, caput head — more at head
First Known Use: 14th century
2captain
transitive verbDefinition of CAPTAIN
: to be captain of : lead <captained the football team>
Examples of CAPTAIN
- The ship was captained by John Smith.
- She captained last year's team.
First Known Use of CAPTAIN
1598
Related to CAPTAIN
- Synonyms
- boss, handle, head, overlook, oversee, quarterback, superintend, supervise
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