Wordul · all words

noun · 1 syllable · /tʃiːf/

CHIEF

What does "CHIEF" mean?

The leader or head of a group, organization, or people.

Meanings

  1. A person with highest authority or rank in a group. The fire chief ordered everyone out of the building.
  2. Most important; principal. Their chief concern was getting the children to safety.
  3. The upper third of a heraldic shield (a technical term in heraldry). The arms bore three stars in chief. technical

Did you know?

  • A 'chef' is literally a 'chief': the French 'chef de cuisine' means 'head of the kitchen', and both words come from the Latin 'caput', meaning 'head'.

Word origin

From Old French 'chief' (head, leader), from Latin 'caput' (head); the same Latin root gives 'captain', 'chapter', 'capital', and 'chef' - the chief of the kitchen.

Remember it

CHIEF follows the rhyme 'i before e' - and a good chief comes before everyone else.

A little poem

The word for head became a hundred crowns-
the chef, the captain, chapters, and the towns.

couplet

Wordplay

  • The kitchen had a power struggle, but in the end the chef came out on top - he was always the chief, after all.

What it teaches

A chief is just the word for 'head'; lead with one and you earn the title twice.

Quick facts

What does CHIEF mean?

The leader or head of a group, organization, or people.

Is CHIEF a valid word?

Yes — CHIEF is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is CHIEF?

CHIEF has 5 letters and 1 syllable.

Where does CHIEF come from?

From Old French 'chief' (head, leader), from Latin 'caput' (head); the same Latin root gives 'captain', 'chapter', 'capital', and 'chef' - the chief of the kitchen.

What can CHIEF teach us?

A chief is just the word for 'head'; lead with one and you earn the title twice.

How players do

Be the first to solve it.

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