Forms: α. 4–5 capitain, -tayn, -tane, -tein, 5 capytayn, -tein, capeteigne, 5–6 capi-, capytayne, 5–7 capitaine, 6 capitan, 7 Sc. capitane; β. 4–5 capteyn, 5 -tayn, -tan, 5–7 -tayne, 6–7 -taine, 7 Sc. -tane, 5– captain. [ME. capitain, a. late OF. (14th c.) capitaine, capitain, ad. late L. capitāne-us capitānus adj. ‘chief, principal,’ sb. ‘chief, headman,’ f. caput, capit- head.
Had L. capitāneus been an old word, which lived on in French, its OF. form would have been catain, chatain (:—captāneum); being of somewhat later (10–11th c. origin) the actual OF. form was cata-niē, cataigne, chataigne; a still later (12th c.) semipopular form, preserving the intertonic i of capitāneus, was chevetaine (whence Eng. CHIEFTAIN). Capitaine was again a much later adaptation of the L.]
I. A chief or headman.
1. One who stands at the head of others and leads them, or exercises authority over them; a headman, chief or leader. Now only as fig. use of special senses.
c. 1380. Wyclif, De Eccles., ix. Sel. Wks. III. 360. It were good to obeishe to Petre, and þat sich a captein were in þe Chirche.
1485. Caxton, Chas. Gt., 231. Thou hast ben capytayn ayenst the fayth.
1534. More, Picus, Wks. 21. Christ our lorde and soueraine captayne.
1611. Bible, Heb. ii. 10. To make the Captaine of their saluation perfect through sufferings.
1683. trans. Erasmus’ Moriæ Enc., 50. Homer, that Captain of all Poetry.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), III. 489. He [Homer] is the great captain and teacher of the whole of that charming tragic company.
2. esp. A military leader; a commander of a body of troops, of a fortress, castle, etc.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, VIII. 52. Thai off the castell … tauld it to thair capitane.
1450. W. Lomner, in Four C. Eng. Lett., 4. Peris Brusy was cheffe capteyn.
1535. Coverdale, Judg. i. 1. Who shall … be oure Captayne of warre against ye Cananites?
1603. Shaks., Meas. for M., II. ii. 130. That in the Captaine ’s but a chollericke word, Which in the Souldier is flat blasphemie.
1618. Bolton, Florus, II. xviii. 226. Such as the captaine is, such is the souldier.
1671. Milton, Samson, 1651. Lords, ladies, captains, counsellors, or priests.
1752. Johnson, Rambl., No. 190, ¶ 2. The captains of thousands awaited his commands.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., III. 200. Their chief was of all the Irish captains the most dreaded and the most abhorred by the Protestants.
3. A military leader of skill and experience; an able general or commander; a strategist.
1590. A. Cope (title), The History of two most noble Captaynes of the World, Anniball and Scipio.
1689. Evelyn, Mem. (1857), III. 297. Authors of sects, great captains and politicians.
1701. Swift, Contests in Athens & Rome, Wks. 1755, II. I. 18. Miltiades … is reckoned to have been the first great captain, not only of Athens, but of all Greece.
1838. Macaulay, Sir W. Temble, Ess. (1897), 420 (L.). Condé and Turenne will always be considered as captains of a very different order from the invincible Lewis.
1869. Freeman, Norm. Conq. (1876), II. x. 477. The world first fully learned how great a captain England had in her future King.
II. The head of a division.
4. gen. A subordinate officer holding command under a sovereign, a general, or the like.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Serm., Sel. Wks. I. 323. Folk, þat weren þe fendis capteyns in killing of martiris.
1535. Coverdale, 1 Macc. xv. 38. The kynge made Cendebeus captayne of the see coost.
1594. Shaks., Rich. III., V. iii. 108. O thou, whose Captaine I account my selfe … Make vs thy ministers of Chasticement.
1609. Bible (Douay), Lament. 1. comm., His capitaine Nabuzardan spoyled al.
1611. Bible, Deut. i. 15. Captaines ouer fifties, and captaines ouer tennes, and officers among your tribes.
1830. Sparks, Biog. S. Cabot, ii. 109. On Cabot’s arrival … he gave him the title of his Captain.
5. spec. In the army: The officer who commands a company of infantry or foot artillery, or a troop of cavalry or horse artillery, ranking between the major and the lieutenant. The grade is the third in order of promotion.
1567. Confed. Popish Princes, in Strype, Ann. Ref., I. II. l. 538. The principall lievetenaunts and capytaines.
1598. Barret, Theor. Warres, II. i. 15. Regiment [divided] into companies, ouer every company a Captaine.
1641. Sc. Acts (1870), V. App. 679/2. Petitione be the Lieutenant Colonellis and Majoris … desyring the pay of ane captaine.
1814. Scott, Wav., v. Captain Waverley of the —— regiment of dragoons.
1845. Sarah Austin, Ranke’s Hist. Ref., II. 347. Who had now risen to the rank of captain.
6. The officer who commands a man-of-war. In the British navy, the title of an officer who ranks between a rear-admiral or a commodore and a commander. The title is also often given by courtesy to a commander.
Captain of the Fleet: an officer, temporarily appointed by the admiralty, who acts as adjutant-general of a naval force, carries out all orders issued by the commander-in-chief, but whose special duty it is to keep up the discipline of the fleet; he wears the uniform of a rear-admiral. Captain of the Port: an officer of the Board of Health who ‘controls the entries and departures, the berthing at the anchorage, and general marine duties in a port, but possesses no naval authority. Hence, the port-captain is quite another officer’ (Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk.).
1554. Eden, Decades W. Ind., VII. (Arb.), 375. This capitayne Wyndam, puttyng furth of his shyp at Porchmouth.
1593. Shaks., 2 Hen. VI., IV. i. 107. This Villaine heere, Being Captaine of a Pinnace.
1626. Capt. Smith, Accid. Yng. Sea-men, 1. The Captaines charge is to commaund all, and tell the Maister to what Port he will go.
1745. Observ. conc. Navy, 36. A Captain of a Man of War of the Line, is equal in Rank to a Colonel.
1804. G. Rose, Diaries (1860), II. 194. Captain Prescott, a commander in the navy.
1836. Marryat, Midsh. Easy, xxii. The captain of the frigate.
b. Applied to the chief sailor of a gang of men to whom the duties of a certain portion of the ship are assigned, as captain of the forecastle, captain of the hold, captain of the maintop, etc.
1801. Naval Chron., VI. 103. He was captain of a gun at the Battle of the Nile.
1833. Marryat, P. Simple, II. vii. The captain of the main-top was there with two other sailors.
1859. F. A. Griffiths, Artil. Man. (1862), 208. No. 1, the Captain [of a gun] commands, attends the breech, primes, points, and fires.
1882. Navy List, July, 459. Captain of Quarter-deck Men, Captain of the Forecastle, Captain of the Foretop, Captain of the Hold, etc.
7. The master or commander of a merchant ship or of any kind of vessel.
1704. Addison, Italy, 6. Our Captain thought his Ship in so great Danger.
1822. J. Flint, Lett. fr. Amer., 143–4. The persons who take the charge of keel-boats are also Captains.
1858. Merc. Mar. Mag., V. 39. Capt. Baker had every confidence in the ship.
1873. Morley, Rousseau, II. 55. A kidnapper of coolies or the captain of a slaver.
8. The superintendent or manager of a mine (in Cornwall, etc.).
1602. Carew, Cornwall, 10/1. Their ouerseer, whome they terme their Captaine.
1757. Borlase, in Phil. Trans., L. II. 504. This very intelligent captain of the mine [note, Mr. J. Nantcarrow] observes … that thunder was never known to affect the air at 60 fathoms deep.
1852. Leisure Ho., 632, note.
1864. Mrs. Lloyd, Ladies Polc., 16.
9. The foreman of a company of workmen or of a workshop in various trades. (Cf. also 6 b.)
1886. Newspaper. D. H., ‘captain’ of Messrs. Davies’ [tailors’] shop, said that he never saw a coat worse made.
10. The head boy of a school, or of a form in it.
1706. Spect., No. 307, ¶ 13. Every Boy is bound to have as good a Memory as the Captain of the Form.
1730. Etoniana, x. 156. There was a speech made by the captain.
1825. Scott, in Lockhart (1839), VIII. 149. A schoolboy who writes himself Captain of Giggleswick School.
1864. Blackw. Mag., XCVI. 226/2 (Hoppe). The late captain of Harrow … gives it as his opinion that the small houses have their necessary disadvantages.
11. In Cricket, Football, and other sports: The leader of a side or team, the chief of a club, etc.
1857. Hughes, Tom Brown, I. v. Old Brooke is talking to the captain of quarters [at foot-ball]. Ibid., II. viii. And then the Captain of the eleven … what a post is his in our School world.
1865. (title) The Rob Roy on the Jordan … By J. Macgregor, Captain of the Royal Canoe Club.
1884. Harper’s Mag., Jan., 299/1. They [bowling club] have a captain, and a treasurer.
12. As a term of address (without implying any office or rank). familiar or slang. Cf. ‘governor.’
1607. Shaks., Timon, II. ii. 76. Why how now Captaine? what do you in this wise Company? Ibid. (1611), Wint. T. I. ii. 122. Come Captaine, We must be neat; not neat, but cleanly, Captaine.
1862. Russell, Diary North & South, I. xiii. 139. All the people who addressed me by name prefixed ‘Major’ or ‘Colonel.’ ‘Captain’ is very low…. The conductor who took our tickets was called ‘Captain.’
III. 13. A name for the Grey Gurnard.
[c. 1520. Andrewe, Noble Lyfe, in Babees Bk. (1868), 232. Capitaius is a lytel fisshe with a great hede, a wyde rounde mouthe.]
1810. P. Neill, Fishes, 14 (Jam.). Grey Gurnard; Crowner.—It is known by a variety of other names, as Captain, Hardhead, &c.
IV. 14. Comb., as captain-craft, -commandant, -hackum, -sharp; captain’s biscuit, a hard variety of fancy biscuit; † captain-pacha: see CAPITAN.
1844. Dickens, Mar. Chuz., v. (C. D.), 53. He took a *Captain’s biscuit.
1639. Fuller, Holy War, III. xxiv. (1840), 162. There were some mysteries in the *captain-craft.
1876. Bancroft, Hist. U.S., IV. xv. 419. Commissioned … as *captain-commandant for Pittsburg.
1877. Major, Discov. Pr. Henry, x. 131. Prince Henry … gave Cabral the rank of *Captain Donatary.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, *Captain-hackum, a Fighting, Blustering, Bully. Ibid., *Captain-sharp, a great Cheat; also a Huffing, yet Sneaking, Cowardly Bully.
