chief

 
Pronunciation: /tʃiːf/

noun

  • 1a leader or ruler of a people or clan: the chief of the village [as title]: Chief Banawi
  • the head of an organization: a union chief the chief of police
  • an informal form of address to a man, especially one of superior rank or status: it’s quite simple, chief
  • 2 Heraldry an ordinary consisting of a broad horizontal band across the top of the shield.
  • the upper third of the field.

adjective

  • most important: the chief reason for the spending cuts chief among her concerns is working alone at night
  • having or denoting the highest rank: the chief economist of a leading bank

Phrases

chief cook and bottle-washer

informal a person who performs a variety of important but routine tasks.

in chief

Heraldry at the top; in the upper part. See also -in-chief

too many chiefs and not enough Indians

used to describe a situation where there are too many people giving orders and not enough people to carry them out.

Derivatives

chiefdom

noun

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French chief, chef, based on Latin caput 'head'

Spelling rule

i before e except after c (as in thief).