Forms: 3–4 chef, 4– chief; also 4–6 chefe, cheef, (5 chif, chiff(e, chyf(e, cheyf, scheff), 5–6 cheff(e, 5–7 cheefe, cheif, (6 chieffe, chyefe), 6–7 cheife, cheiffe, chiefe. [f. prec.: originally the substantive used in apposition or attributively.]
1. Of persons: That is formally the CHIEF or head; standing at the head; taking the first place; = HEAD-. Used in many official designations, etc., as Chief Baron, Chief Constable, Chief Justice, Chief Rabbi, Chief Secretary, etc.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 15. Sir Egbriht, our chefe kyng.
c. 1340. Cursor M., 4434 (Fairf.). Þe maister chefe iailer [earlier MSS. maister jailere].
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 3841. I schal … mak him my chef stiward to stiȝtli all my godes.
138[?]. Wyclif, Sel. Wks., I. 36. Siche cheefe lordis þat han not above hem anoþir cheef lord.
1473. Warkw., Chron., 26. Bodrygan scheff reulere of Cornwayle.
c. 1525. Elegy Hen. VIII.’s Fool, in Halliwell, Nugæ Poeticæ, 45. Ye as chefe moerner yn your own folys hode.
1530. Palsgr., 204. Chefe baron of the Eschequer, chefe capitayne, [etc.].
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 172. That the king of Englande ought of right to be their chiefe head and sovereigne.
1685. Luttrell, Brief Rel. (1857), I. 361. Paul Ricaut, esq., cheif secretary to his excellency the lord lieutenant of Ireland.
1758. J. Blake, Plan Mar. Syst., 21. The following officers shall be exempted from drawing lots, viz. the chief-mate, the boatswain, and carpenter.
1818. Cruise, Digest, VI. 503. Argued before Lord Chancellor Nottingham, assisted by the Chief Justices North and Pemberton, and Lord Ch. Baron Montague.
1840. Carlyle, Heroes (1858), 365. Chief-consulship, Emperorship, victory over Europe.
† b. Of things: Highest in rank, capital, head-.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 4758. An chyrche he lete rere, In Est end of Kanterbury, þat þe chef chyrche were.
c. 1305. St. Kenelm, in E. E. P. (1862), 49. Or al his lond þe chief Cite.
c. 1340. Cursor M., 10010 (Trin.). Þat are foure vertues principales Whiche men callen cardinales. Alle oþere vertues of hem han holde, Þer-fore þei are for cheef Itolde.
138[?]. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 16. Aȝenst þe chifwerk of gostly mercy.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., 23. Thre chefe chambers.
a. 1541. Wyatt, Poet. Wks. (1861), 54. Thou thyself dost cast thy beams from high From thy chief house.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 88. Vienna, which is the chiefe Citie of the Countrie.
1837. Penny Cycl., VIII. 157. Creuznach, the chief town, is situated on both banks of the Nahe.
2. † Chief father: first ancestor, first parent; ME. form-fader. Obs.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., B. 684. Habraham … chosen to be chef childryn fader.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VIII. iii. 92. Schyr Dardanus … Our cheif fader.
3. At the head or top in importance; most important, influential, or active; principal, foremost, greatest: a. of persons.
138[?]. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 172. Of alle wicked men weiward prestis ben chiff whanne þei turne to cursednesse.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 71. Chefe or princypale, precipuus.
1480. Caxton, Chron. Eng., ccxxxiii. 253. Syr bartram Cleykyn that was chefe maker and cause of the werre.
1633. Marmyon, Fine Companion, III. iii. The cheefe and only mouer of yovr loue.
1828. Hawthorne, Fanshawe, i. (1879), 15. A very dear friend … who in his early manhood had been his chief intimate.
1882. J. H. Blunt. Ref. Ch. Eng., II. 23. Archbishop Cranmer being his chief supporter.
b. of things.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XIX. 469. Holycherche chief help & chiftaigne of þe comune.
c. 1440. York Myst., xix. 23. And my cheffe helpe is he.
c. 1546. Langley, Pol. Verg. De Invent., IV. ix. 97 a. To haue the chief stroke in all ceremonies.
1569. J. Rogers, Gl. Godly Loue, 186. Children are their Parents cheefe joy.
1661. Boyle, Spring of Air, Pref. (1682), 5. It was not my cheif design.
1667. Milton, P. L., III. 168. O Son, in whom my soul hath chief delight.
1752. Johnson, Rambler, No. 203, ¶ 12. Hope is the chief blessing of man.
1848. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., I. 51–2. The man who took the chief part in settling the conditions which produced the Anglican Church was Archbishop Cranmer.
1875. Jevons, Money (1878), 133. The chief difficulty in adopting such a new metal.
4. More loosely: Belonging to the highest group or first rank; ‘of the first order’ (J.), prominent, leading. In this relative use, formerly often compared chiefer, chiefest; see 8.
a. of persons.
c. 1440. York Myst., xxv. 94. I shall declare playnly his comyng To the chiffe of the Jewes.
1536. Wriothesley, Chron. (1875), I. 48. The cheiffe peeres of the realme following the Kinge.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 119. The king of Scottes did hang foure hundreth of the cheefe doers.
1651. Hobbes, Leviath., III. xl. 252. Any Aristocracy of the chief Princes of the People.
c. 1785. Burns, Answ. Ep. of Tailor. He’s rank’d amang the chief O’ lang-syne saunts.
1882. Shorthouse, J. Inglesant, xxx. All the chief among the Cardinals.
b. of things.
1393. Gower, Conf., III. 11. For love drunke is the mischefe Above all other the moste chefe.
1523. Ld. Berners, Froiss., I. clxii. 200. Alwayes in the chyefe of the batayle [au plus fort de la bataille].
1593. Shaks., 3 Hen. VI., IV. vi. 58. The first, of all your chiefe affaires.
1631–3. High Commission Cases (1886), 321. This goeth as a cheife story amongst them.
a. 1745. Swift, Wks. (1841), II. 71. A short account of the chief crimes they have committed.
1848. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., I. 551. A chief object of the expedition was declared to be the entire suppression, not only of Popery, but of Prelacy, which was termed the most bitter root and offspring of Popery.
† 5. Pre-eminent in excellence; best, finest; choice. Obs.
1519. Horman, Vulg., 283. He hath the chieffe game, where so euer he goeth, victor est omnium certaminum.
1591. Shaks., 1 Hen. VI., V. v. 12. The cheefe perfections of that louely Dame.
1611. Bible, Amos vi. 6. Anoint themselues with the chiefe ointments.
1651. Fuller, Abel Rediv., Colet (1867), I. 116. His chief companion was ever some chief book.
1660. Sharrock, Vegetables, 28. The light colours are they that are chief for choice.
6. Sc. Intimate (as friends). Cf. the dial. great, thick. Apparently connected with the Biblical use in Prov. xvi. 28 (1611), ‘A whisperer separateth chiefe friends,’ where the Heb. word means ‘familiars, intimates.’
1530. Palsgr., 424. I am cheife a counsayle with one; I am moste aboute hym … he is cheife a counsayle with hym.
1879. Jamieson, s.v., They’re very chief wi’ ane anither tod.
Mod. Sc. You and he are rather chief.
7. absol. or elliptically. See also CHIEF sb. 9.
a. pl. Chief people.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 131. Neither Maior, nor Alderman, nor other of the chiefe of the Citie.
1597. Bacon, Coulers of Good & Evill, ii. (Arb.), 140. In the northern climate the wits of chief are greater.
1612. W. Shute, trans. Fougasses’s Venice, 4. Diuers of the cheefe of Padua did likewise resorte to Rialto.
1707. Hearne, Collect., 9 Aug. One of ye chief who formerly got him turn’d by a Fellowship.
b. The main part; the most; the bulk.
1833. Marryat, P. Simple, xlviii. The disasters occasioned by this hurricane were very great, owing to its having taken place at night, when the chief of the inhabitants were in bed and asleep.
8. Compared as chiefer, chiefest.
As the word was weakened in force from the meaning of ‘head’ or ‘supreme’ absolutely, to that of ‘leading,’ comparison of relative position became possible; and thus a comparative chiefer occurs, and much more frequently a superlative chiefest, the latter very common in the 16th and 17th c., and still frequent in literary use.
† a. comparative. Obs.
1553. Bale, Gardiner’s Obed., F viij. That they might be taken for chief, yea, and chiefer than the chiefest.
1612. Brinsley, Lud. Lit., 269. The Master may imploy his paines principally amongst the chiefer; as the Vsher doth amongst the lower.
b. superlative.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 12418. He was chosyn … chevest of councell.
1535. Coverdale, Mark xii. 29. The chefest commaundement of all commaundementes is.
1577. B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., II. (1586), 72 b. The cheefest time of planting … is the end of Sommer.
1583. Stubbes, Anat. Abus., II. 59. We giue vnto God the cheefest stroke and the cheefest rule in all things.
1591. Shaks., 1 Hen. VI., II. ii. 12. Within their chiefest Temple.
1611. Bible, Mark x. 44. Whosoeuer of you will bee the chiefest [Wycl., Rhem. first, Tindale, etc. chefe], shalbe seruant of all.
1689. Selden, Table T. (Arb.), 82. Patience is the chiefest fruit of Study.
1697. Dampier, Voy., I. xiv. 387. The Chinese are the chiefest merchants. Ibid. (1699), II. II. iv. 112. About which they spend the chiefest of their time.
1708. J. Chamberlayne, St. Gt. Brit., II. III. (1743), 279. There are six penny-post offices: the chiefest is in Threadneedle Street.
1812. Byron, Ch. Har., I. xl. The Grave shall bear the chiefest prize away.
1847. Emerson, Repr. Men, Montaigne, Wks. (Bohn), I. 339. Culture will instantly destroy that chiefest beauty of spontaneousness.
9. Chief good, † chiefest good: used to translate Lat. summum bonum.
1663. Cowley, Verses & Ess. (1669), 117. When Epicurus to the World had taught, That pleasure was the cheifest Good.
1667. Milton, P. L., XI. 493. As their chief good.
1669. Gale, Crt. Gentiles, I. I. i. 2. Desires after some one Chiefest Good.
1729. Butler, Serm., xiv. Wks. 1874, II. 193. Knowledge … cannot be the chief good of man.
1806. A. Knox, Rem., I. 31. Reason … informed the heathen sages that there was a chief good of man.
1869. M. Arnold, Cult. & An. (1882), 212. A good in itself, one of the chiefest of goods.
B. as adv. Chiefly, principally. arch.
a. 1553. Udall, Roister D., III. v. (Arb.), 57. Sweete mistresse, where as I loue you … chiefe of all for your personage, beautie, demeanour and witte.
1583. Stanyhurst, Æneis, I. (1880), 17. But chiefe through Iunoes long fostred deadlye reuengment.
1671. Milton, Samson, 754. Not truly penitent, but chief to try Her husband.
1715–20. Pope, Iliad, XIV. 291. Me chief he sought.
1795. Southey, Joan of Arc, V. 407. But chief where in the town The six great avenues meet.
1840. Browning, Sordello, II. (1868), 73. And chief, that earnest April morn Of Richard’s Love-court, was it time.
b. So chiefest.
1632. Milton, Penseroso, 51. But first and chiefest with thee bring Him that yon soars on golden wing.
1811. Heber, Hymn, ‘Hosannah, etc.’ But chiefest, in our cleansèd breast, Eternal, bid Thy Spirit rest.
