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chief

Pronunciation: /tʃiːf/

Definition of chief

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.

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.

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

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

Definition of chief in the US English dictionary

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