chieftain

IPA/ˈtʃiːftən/
KK[tʃˈiftən]IPA/ˈtʃiːftən/

chieftain — noun

  • chieftainsingular
  • chieftainsplural

1. the person in charge of a tribe, clan, or other traditional social group, usuall

1.名詞C1
釋義

the person in charge of a tribe, clan, or other traditional social group, usually holding authority over its members in matters of war, land, and ceremony.

例句

The old chieftain of the mountain clan met the visitors at the village gate.

collocation: chieftain of [clan/tribe]

Andrés studied the carved staff that every Highland chieftain once carried into battle.

同義詞
  • chief

    more general; can apply to any leader, not just traditional groups

  • headman

    narrower; head of a single village rather than a wider tribe or clan

  • leader

    neutral and broad; lacks the traditional or tribal flavour

反義詞

文法句型

chieftain of [tribe/clan]

用法筆記

Subject is usually a historical, traditional, or non-state community (clan, tribe, highland group); for modern political leaders, use 'leader' or 'chief' instead. Often appears with 'of + [group/place]'.

常見錯誤

❌The chieftain of the company announced new rules.
✅The chief executive of the company announced new rules.
💡'chieftain' is for tribal or clan leaders, not corporate or political ones.
❌She is the chieftain of our school basketball team.
✅She is the captain of our school basketball team.
💡sports and clubs use 'captain', not 'chieftain'.