From Middle English cheef, chef, from Old French chef, chief, from Vulgar Latin capus, from Latin caput (from which also captain, chieftain), from itc-pro *kaput, from Proto-Indo-European *káput.

• IPA: /t͡ʃiːf/

chief (plural chiefs)

1. A leader or head of a group of people, organisation, etc. [from 13th c.]
   • 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, London: Abacus, published 2010, page 4:

     My father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, was a chief by both blood and custom.

   All firefighters report to the fire chief.

2. (heraldiccharge) The top part of a shield or escutcheon; more specifically, an ordinary consisting of the upper part of the field cut off by a horizontal line, generally occupying the top third. [from 15th c.]
   • 1889, Charles Norton Elvin, A Dictionary of Heraldry:

     When the Chief is Charged with any figure, in blazon it is said to be "On a Chief".

3. The principal part or top of anything.
4. (sometimes, ironic) An informal term of address.
   • 1951, J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, →OCLC ↗, page 119 ↗:

     “How old are you, chief?” the elevator guy said.

   1. (US, Canada, offensive) An informal term of address for a Native American or First Nations man.

• chieftain
• See also Thesaurus:boss

• captain
• chef
• chieftain

• French: chef
• German: Häuptling, Oberhaupt
• Italian: capo
• Portuguese: chefe, líder
• Russian: вождь
• Spanish: jefe

• French: chef
• German: Chef, (slang) Boss
• Italian: direzione
• Portuguese: chefe, manda-chuva
• Russian: глава́
• Spanish: jefe

• French: chef
• German: Schildhaupt
• Italian: capo
• Portuguese: chefe
• Russian: глава́
• Spanish: jefe

chief (comparative chiefer, superlative chiefest)

1. Primary; principal.

   Negligence was the chief cause of the disaster.

2. (Scotland) Intimate, friendly.
   • 2006, James Robertson, The Testament of Gideon Mack, page 324:

     'You’re doing it because she was your friend, not because she was a parishioner, and certainly not because of the Declaratory Articles,' Macmurray said, pushing himself forward on his seat. 'Everybody knows how chief you and she were. It was an unfitting relationship for a minister while she was alive, and it is equally unfitting for you to do her a favour like this now she's dead.'

• German: hauptsächlich, primär
• Portuguese: chefe, principal
• Russian: гла́вный
• Spanish: principal

chief (chiefs, present participle chiefing; simple past and past participle chiefed)

1. (slang) To smoke cannabis.
   • 2012, Marquis "Cream" Cureton, When the Smoke Clears (page 268)

     He chiefed on the bud like a pro, taking long deep hits and holding it within until he had inhaled as much of the weed smoke as he could.