Etymologically
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captain

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈkæp.tɪn/, US /ˈkæp.tən/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English capitayn, capitane,[2][3] borrowed from Old French capitain, capitaine,[4][2] which replaced the earlier chevetaigne,[5][6] from Late Latin capitāneus (“chief, prominent”),[4][2] from Latin caput (“head”) (genitive capitis),[4][2] from Proto-Indo-European *kaput- (“head”).[4] It is a doublet of chieftain.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A leader or chief, one at the head of others: about 1375, in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales,[2] the late 14th century in Etymonline.[4] The OED has a military commander from 1375 and a leader in general from about 1380.[7]

Semantic evolution

The naval officer (captain of the fleet) is from 1554,[2] the 1550s in Etymonline, extended to the master of any vessel by 1704[4] (before 1649 in Barnhart).[2] The army officer commanding a company, ranking between major and lieutenant, is from 1567.[7][2] A skilled military leader or strategist is from 1590.[7] The leader of a sports team is from 1823 in Etymonline[4] and 1857 in Barnhart,[2] a captain of industry from 1843,[7] an officer in the Salvation Army from 1878,[7] and the pilot of an aircraft from 1929.[2] The verb, “to lead as captain”, is from 1598.[7][3] In other Germanic languages too the word is from French.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 1375 – a military leader; a chief.[2][7]
  • 1554 – a naval officer.[2]
  • 1567 – an army officer commanding a company.[7][2]
  • 1598 – verb, to lead.[7][3]
  • 1704 – the master of any vessel.[4]
  • 1823 – the leader of a sports team.[4]
  • 1843 – captain of industry.[7]
  • 1929 – the pilot of an aircraft.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person who commands or leads others; a chief.
  2. The officer in command of a ship or aircraft.
  3. An officer in the army or air force ranking above a lieutenant and below a major; in the navy, one ranking below a commodore or rear admiral.
  4. The leader of a sports team.
  5. A leading figure in a field: a captain of industry.

Verb

  1. To lead or command as captain.

Word family

  • captaincy
  • captainship
  • subcaptain
  • undercaptain
  • bell captain
  • captain of industry
  • group captain
  • sea captain

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press