chief
Definitions
The leader or person with the highest rank in a group or organization.
首领，头目；（组织的）负责人。
Most important; principal; highest in rank.
主要的，首要的；级别最高的。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedchief comes from Latin caput (head) by way of Old French chef ('head'). The head of a group leads it, so chief is the leader — and, as an adjective, the 'head' or topmost thing: your chief concern is the one at the head of your worries.
Root capit still carries 24 more wordsWhy It Means This
Chief and chef are secretly the same word. Latin caput ('head') became French chef, also meaning 'head,' and English borrowed it early as chief — the head of a clan, a department, a list. The very same French word was borrowed again much later as chef, the head of a kitchen. So a police chief and a head chef both descend from one Latin head.
Common Collocations
- 1.chief executive首席执行官
- 2.chief concern主要关切
- 3.police chief警察局长
- 4.chief among them其中最主要的
- 5.editor-in-chief主编
Example Sentences
- 1.
She was promoted to chief of the surgical department.
- 2.
Our chief concern right now is keeping costs down.
- 3.
The fire chief ordered everyone to evacuate.
Easily Confused
chief vs. chef: chief is a leader (police chief, chief executive); chef is a cook (head chef). They share the same Latin root 'head,' but chef only ever means the kitchen boss. Don't write 'the company chef' when you mean the company's leader.