chieftain Definition
chief·tain (c̸hēf′tən)
noun
a chief or leader, esp. of a clan or tribe
Etymology: ME chevetaine < OFr < LL capitaneus, chief in size: see captain
chieftain Related Forms
chief′·taincy noun pl. -·cies
chief′·tain·ship′ noun
chieftain Usage Examples
Preposition: of
district: In 444 a site for a church was granted at Armagh by Daire, the chieftain of the district.
Converse of subject
lead: Such communities were organized and led by chieftains or kings.
Converse of object
- defeat: Luke 3.29 Back to top Libnah ( the king of ) was a petty tribal chieftain defeated by Joshua during the conquest of Canaan.
- call: The Mercians fought under the leadership of a chieftain called Penda and the Welsh assisted under the their king Caedwalla.
- have: The Clan is basically an extended family group ( or tribe ) which has a chieftain - the tribal head man.
- become: Aradil had only to buy his way into Eld's good graces, and he would become the chieftain 's successor.
- bury: As well as the royal tombs there are many old chieftains buried on Hy.
- invite: Accordingly he invited the chieftains to a banquet to be held near Stonehenge, or the Hanging Stones, on Salisbury Plains.
Adjective modifier
- tribal: Tribal chieftain who was located in budding skier to to science the.
- Celtic: By then, however, he had become much more English than Scottish, which did not commend him to the Celtic chieftains.
- Welsh: In 1175 it was the scene of the infamous massacre of the Welsh chieftains by the Norman Lord, William de Braose.
- Irish: Evidently, however, the prospect of waiting a year for the recovery of his position was too much for the Irish chieftain.
- native: This was opposed by the native chieftains and the rural ministers.
Noun used with modifier
- clan: A new clan chieftain was elected for next year, Fr Pat O'Malley.
- Viking: Based on the remains of a huge house thought to be the seat of a Viking chieftain.
- warrior: The burial provides further evidence of the early Anglian tradition of animal sacrifice at the grave of a dead warrior chieftain.
- Wessex: Were the Wessex chieftains the ` barrow boys ' of the Bronze Age economy?
- ruling: As usual, St. Patrick's primary care was to gather the ruling chieftains into the fold.
- twelve: This completed, twelve chieftains rode around the barrow, reciting an elegy and speaking of their heroic king.
Browse dictionary entries near chieftain
- ‹ chiefly
- ‹ chief warrant officer
- ‹ chief petty officer
- ‹ chief operating officer
- ‹ chief of staff
- ‹ chief master sergeant
- ‹ Chief Justice of the United States
- ‹ chief justice
- ‹ chief financial officer
- ‹ chief executive officer
- chiel ›
- chiffchaff ›
- chiffon ›
- chiffonier ›
- chifforobe ›
- chigger ›
- chignon ›
- chigoe ›
- Chihuahua ›
- Chikamatsu Monzaemon ›

