Meaning of the word captain

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, etc. In militaries, the captain is typically at the level of an officer commanding a company or battalion of infantry, a ship, or a battery of artillery, or another distinct unit. The term also may be used as an informal or honorary title for persons in similar commanding roles.

Etymology[edit]

The term «captain» derives from katepánō (Ancient Greek: κατεπάνω, lit. ‘[the one] placed at the top’, or ‘the topmost’), which was used as title for a senior Byzantine military rank and office.^{[1][page needed]} The word was Latinized as capetanus/catepan, and its meaning seems to have merged with that of the late Latin «capitaneus» (which derives from the classical Latin word «caput», meaning head).^[2] This hybridized term gave rise to the English language term captain and its equivalents in other languages (Capitan, Capitaine, Capitano, Capitão, Kapitan, Kapitän, Kapitein, Kapteeni, Kapten, kapitány, Kapudan Pasha, Kobtan, etc.).

Occupations or roles[edit]

• Captain (armed forces), a commissioned officer rank corresponding to the field commander of a company of soldiers usually, or that of a battery of an artillery battalion (company second-in-command or specialist platoon commander in UK).
• Captain (naval), a commissioned officer rank in the navy, corresponding to the rank of Army colonel, Air force colonel.
• Captain (nautical), a licensed civilian mariner or person who is legally in command of a merchant ship, a yacht or another type of vessel that may or may not be carrying passengers for hire; corresponds to the work condition of shipmaster or, as usually said, master.^[3]
• Captain (airlines), a licensed civilian airman or person who is legally in command of a civilian aircraft; corresponding to the work condition of pilot in command colloquially said PIC.
• Fire captain, officer in a fire department.
• Police captain, officer in a police organization.
• Group Captain, a senior commissioned rank in many air forces.
• Captain of industry, business leader.
• Captain of the Port, harbour (UK) or Coast Guard (USA) post.
• Precinct captain, political party’s representative at an election precinct.
• School captain, student elected or appointed to represent the school.
• Captain Regent, head of state of San Marino.
• Captain-major, colonial officer of a Portuguese possession.
• Captain-commandant, a Belgian military rank.
• Katepano, a senior Byzantine officer (and word from which «captain» derived).
• Kapudan Pasha
• Kapitan Cina
• Captal, a regional title in Southern France.

Military ranks[edit]

India[edit]

• Captain (Indian Navy)
• Group captain (India)

Israel[edit]

• Seren, an Israel Defense Forces officer rank whether Army, Air Force, or Navy

United Kingdom[edit]

• Captain (Royal Navy), NATO OF-5 grade
• Captain (British Army and Royal Marines), NATO OF-2 grade
• Group Captain (Royal Air Force), NATO OF-5 grade

United States[edit]

• Captain (United States)
• Captain (United States O-3) (US Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, or Space Force)
• Captain (United States O-6) (US Navy, US Public Health Service, or Coast Guard)

Canada[edit]

• Captain (Canadian naval rank)
• Captain (Canadian army and air force)

Germany[edit]

• Kapitän bzw. „Kapitän zur See“ (Deutsche Marine), Nato OF-5 grade

Generic[edit]

• Captain (naval)
• Captain at sea
• Captain of sea and war
• other captain grades
  • Ship-of-the-line captain
  • Senior Captain
  • Staff captain

Non-military / private ranks[edit]

• Airliner Captain

See also[edit]

• Captain (sports)
• Chief executive officer
• Capitaine (disambiguation)
• Capitan (disambiguation)
• El Capitan (disambiguation), Spanish for «The Captain»
• Kapitan (disambiguation)

References[edit]

1. [ʹkæptın]

1. 1) капитан ()

3) капитан (); шкипер

5) командир, офицер

2.1) брандмейстер, начальник пожарной команды

3. 1) старший, главный

2) старшина ()

3) староста ()

6) бригадир ()

4. 1) вождь, глава

2. [ʹkæptın]

1. 1) руководить, вести

2) возглавлять ()

2. быть капитаном ()

Captain: translation

1) Heb. sar (1 Sam. 22:2; 2 Sam. 23:19). Rendered «chief,» Gen. 40:2; 41:9; rendered also «prince,» Dan. 1:7; «ruler,» Judg. 9:30; «governor,’ 1 Kings 22:26. This same Hebrew word denotes a military captain (Ex. 18:21; 2 Kings 1:9; Deut. 1:15; 1 Sam. 18:13, etc.), the «captain of the body-guard» (Gen. 37:36; 39:1; 41:10; Jer. 40:1), or, as the word may be rendered, «chief of the executioners» (marg.). The officers of the king’s body-guard frequently acted as executioners. Nebuzar-adan (Jer. 39:13) and Arioch (Dan. 2:14) held this office in Babylon.

   The «captain of the guard» mentioned in Acts 28:16 was the Praetorian prefect, the commander of the Praetorian troops.

2) Another word (Heb.katsin) so translated denotes sometimes a military (Josh. 10:24; Judg. 11:6, 11; Isa. 22:3 «rulers;» Dan. 11:18) and sometimes a civil command, a judge, magistrate, Arab. kady, (Isa. 1:10; 3:6; Micah 3:1, 9).

3) It is also the rendering of a Hebrew word (shalish) meaning «a third man,» or «one of three.» The LXX. render in plural by tristatai; i.e., «soldiers fighting from chariots,» so called because each war-chariot contained three men, one of whom acted as charioteer while the other two fought (Ex. 14:7; 15:4; 1 Kings 9:22; comp. 2 Kings 9:25). This word is used also to denote the king’s body-guard (2 Kings 10:25; 1 Chr. 12:18; 2 Chr. 11:11) or aides-de-camp.

4) The «captain of the temple» mentioned in Acts 4:1 and 5:24 was not a military officer, but superintendent of the guard of priests and Levites who kept watch in the temple by night. (Comp. «the ruler of the house of God,» 1 Chr. 9:11; 2 Chr. 31:13; Neh. 11:11.)

5) The Captain of our salvation is a name given to our Lord (Heb. 2:10), because he is the author and source of our salvation, the head of his people, whom he is conducting to glory. The «captain of the Lord’s host» (Josh. 5:14, 15) is the name given to that mysterious person who manifested himself to Abraham (Gen. 12:7), and to Moses in the bush (Ex. 3:2, 6, etc.) the Angel of the covenant. (See Angel.)

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English capitain, capteyn, from Old French capitaine, from Late Latin capitāneus, from Latin caput (“head”) (English cap). Doublet of chieftain, also from Old French.

Pronunciation[edit]

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkæp.tɪn/
• (US, General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈkæp.tən/
• (naval, informal) IPA^(key): /ˈkæp.ən/, [ˈkæpn̩], [ˈkæpm̩]
• Rhymes: (US, General Australian) -æptən

Noun[edit]

captain (plural captains)

1. A chief or leader.
   • 1929, Rudyard Kipling, «The English Way»:

     Stand up-stand up, Northumberland! / I bid you answer true, / If England’s King has under his hand / A Captain as good as you?

2. The person lawfully in command of a ship or other vessel.

   The captain is the last man to leave a sinking ship.

3. An army officer with a rank between the most senior grade of lieutenant and major.

   • 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     «A fine man, that Dunwody, yonder,» commented the young captain, as they parted, and as he turned to his prisoner. «We’ll see him on in Washington some day. He is strengthening his forces now against Mr. Benton out there. […].»

4. A naval officer with a rank between commander and commodore.
5. A commissioned officer in the United States Navy, Coast Guard, NOAA Corps, or PHS Corps of a grade superior to a commander and junior to a rear admiral (lower half). A captain is equal in grade or rank to a United States Army, Marine Corps, or Air Force colonel.
7. One of the athletes on a sports team who is designated to make decisions, and is allowed to speak for his team with a referee or official.
   • 2000, Gregory Allen Howard, Remember the Titans

     Captain’s supposed to be the leader, right?

   • 2012 May 5, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:

     As Di Matteo celebrated and captain John Terry raised the trophy for the fourth time, the Italian increased his claims to become the permanent successor to Andre Villas-Boas by landing a trophy.

8. The leader of a group of workers.

   John Henry said to the captain, «A man ain’t nothing but a man.»

   • 1990, Marshall C. Eakin, A British Enterprise in Brazil:

     The assistant mine captains then reported to the mine captain in charge of all underground operations and subordinate only to the superintendent himself.

9. The head boy of a school.
10. A maître d’, a headwaiter.
    • 1977, Don Felder, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey, lyricists, «Hotel California»,

      So I called up the Captain, «Please bring me my wine.» / He said: «We haven’t had that spirit here since 1969.»

11. (Southern US) An honorific title given to a prominent person. See colonel.

Synonyms[edit]

• (leader of a group of workers): supervisor, straw boss, foreman
• (commander of a vessel): skipper, master
• (pilot in command): pilot, pilot in command
• (military rank): CAPT, CAPT., Capt., Capt, CPT (abbreviation)

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

captain (third-person singular simple present captains, present participle captaining, simple past and past participle captained)

1. (intransitive) To act as captain
2. (transitive) To exercise command of a ship, aircraft or sports team.

[edit]

Translations[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

• anti-cap, capitan, patican

I have heard, in the armory at Boston, a militia captain (_captain_, mind you!) give the command «Attention!» in three different ways, continually experimenting. ❋ Allen French (1908)

I tell you I’m captain of this ship, —captain and owner. ❋ Herbert George (1896)

«_Excelsior_» was my motto; and, assisted by the generous captain, I soon after became a third mate, and afterwards a second mate, and, still later, a first mate, and, last of all, a _captain_! ❋ Mayne Reid (1850)

The election’s outcome determines which players will earn the honor of the title captain for the Kansas University football team. ❋ Unknown (2010)

But our captain is a strange man, and I beg of you to be prepared for anything — understand? — for anything. ❋ Unknown (2010)

So why Alan Hansen was so confident Montenegro would be put to the sword he recommended resting the captain is a mystery. ❋ Paul Wilson (2010)

` ` Weekes makes two big stops in a row and your captain is able to win it for you. ❋ Unknown (2008)

«It helps who our captain is and you want to play for him and you want to be on the team,» Woods says. ❋ Unknown (2007)

You should really pick one doctor to be what they call the captain of the ship. ❋ Unknown (2008)

«Just to be on the team with the greatest player in the world as your captain is the greatest honor in the world,» Chris DiMarco said shortly after hitting his Cup-clinching putt. ❋ Unknown (2005)

One of the great honors and pleasures of being a captain is to be able to make the selections. ❋ Unknown (2003)

But our captain is a strange man, and I beg of you to be prepared for anything, understand? ❋ Unknown (1904)

At this sight, her heart throbbed and she mounted and riding down to the port, with her officers, halted by the ship, whilst the sailors broke out the cargo and transported the goods to the storehouses; after which she called the captain and asked what he had with him. ❋ Anonymous (1879)

The crew of the captured privateer Savannah has been thus analysed by a New York evening paper: — the captain is a Philadelphian by birth; the first officer and purser are South Carolinians; the sailing master ❋ Unknown (1861)

At this sight, her heart throbbed and she took horse with the Chamberlains and Nabobs and, riding down to the shore, halted by the ship, whilst the sailors broke bulk and bore the bales to the storehouses; after which she called the captain to her presence and asked what he had with him. ❋ Anonymous (1855)

– as I perceive the captain is a servant of yours, and will do nothing without you bid him. ❋ Unknown (1864)

Much like trekkies argue which captain is the best, Kirk or Picard. ❋ Unknown (2010)

In a city where Ireland have won only once in 40 years, Declan Kidney’s side have to pick up the pieces of their opening day home defeat by Wales and even their long-term captain Brian O’Driscoll has his doubts. ❋ Unknown (2012)

Fire captain is at the head of the list: she has a fire hat, a fire coat, and fire boots. ❋ Unknown (2009)

I liked Avery Brooks as the captain from the first episode. ❋ Unknown (2009)

[whats up] captain? ❋ Shaggymorphism (2021)

I drank [twenty] ounces of [Captain] tonight and it ended up all over my [couch] along with the contents of my stomach. ❋ Ides Of March (2004)

[Captain] [Jones] was the head of [the platoon]. ❋ Nicolaivich (2004)

[Captain]: What [you say]? ❋ Baseologist (2003)

[The captain] [stood to attention], and entered the [ladie’s] garden. ❋ Stouffer (2002)

[Take] a captain at [the set] on her ❋ Sok (2003)

I put my [coat on] the back of that chair to reserve it, but Bob just came over and [captained] [my seat]! ❋ Atemperman (2003)

«Hey [Captain], you better re-laminate your [laptop] [monitor].» ❋ TT Boy (2003)

Tommy [captained] [the Captain] [all day every day]. Then, he kissed her through the phone. ❋ Coni Pony (2009)

1) You fucking [Captain]! Look what you did to my jeans!
2) [Way to go], Captain!!
3) [Wuzzup], Captain. ❋ Noodles (2003)