Forms: 4 cheftayne, 5–6 chieftayne, 6–7 -taine, 7–8 -tan, 5– -tain; also 4 chefteyn, chiftaigne, chyftan, 5 chefteyne, -tane, -taigne, -tayn, -ten, chiftene, chiefteyn, chyeftayne, 5–7 Sc. chiftan, 6 chefetaine, cheefteine, cheefetein, chiefteyne, -teine, (cheiftane, chiefden), 6–7 chiefetain(e, chiftain, 7 cheeftain(e, (8 cheiftan). [ME. chef-, chieftayne, arose as a variant of the earlier CHEVETAINE, partly phonetic (for chevtaine), partly assimilated to chef, CHIEF, and gradually superseded all the varieties of the earlier form. Chiefteyn, cheftain occur occas. in Anglo-French.]
† 1. The head of a body of men, of an organization, state, town, party, office, etc.; head-man, ruler, chief. Obs. in gen. sense.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P. (1864), B. 1295. Wyth charged chariotes þe cheftayne he fyndez.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 3662. To chese hom a cheftayn to be chefe of þem all.
c. 1450. Merlin, 97. To yeve vs a kynge and chiefteyn that may saue and mayntene holy cherche.
1549. Compl. Scot. (1801), 151. Inglismen tuik not God to be their cheiftane.
1587. Fleming, Contn. Holinshed, III. 1019/1. The magistrates and cheefeteins of the citie.
1837. Sir F. Palgrave, Merch. & Friar, ii. (1844), 52. Every one of these groups of peasantry … had a species of Chieftain.
2. A military leader; a captain. arch. and poet.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 16. Dardan hight þe cheftayn of þat company, Sadok sonne of Danmark kyng Danesry.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 4790. Then Agamynon … chargit hom as cheften all his choise pepull.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 416. The Scottes … appoynted two Armies to invade Englande. Of the first was chiefetaine syr Thomas Halibarton. Ibid., II. 434. Sent to the sea Lord Edmond Holland Erle of Kent, as Chefetaine of that Crewe.
1603. Knolles, Hist. Turks (1638), 16. These two armies conducted by their most resolute chiefetains.
1791. Cowper, Iliad, XVII. 172. Ah, Hector, Chieftain of excelling form.
1816. Byron, Ch. Har., III. xxiii. Brunswick’s fated chieftain.
1847. Emerson, Poems, Threnody, Wks. (Bohn), I. 489. The chieftain paced beside The centre of the troop allied.
b. The captain or leader of a band of robbers.
a. 1649. Drumm. of Hawth., Hist. Jas. I., Wks. (1711), 6. Rather … than render himself chiftain of thievish troops.
1847. Mrs. A. Kerr, Hist. Servia, 134. The robber chieftain left them; the Pacha of Bosnia came to their aid.
3. The CHIEF of a clan or tribe.
a. of a Highland clan. (Attempts have been made to differentiate chief and chieftain: see quot. 1818.) Also sometimes extended to heads of Border clans and others representing the oldest branch of their family.
1587. Sc. Acts (1597), § 94 [erroneously printed § 96]. The Captaines, chieffes, and chieftaines of all Clannes … and the principalls of the branches of the saidis Clannes. Ibid., § 100. To require … redresse thereof, at the chiefe of the Clanne, or chieftaine of the Cuntrie.
1639. Sc. Parl., Minutes of Articles, 17 Oct. That the chieftanes of Clannes and Landislorde might be obleist to bring in all brokin men.
1772. Pennant, Tours Scotl. (1774), 207. The islands still remained governed by powerful chieftains.
1814. Scott, Lett., in Lockhart, xxxiii. Health to the Chieftain from his clansman true! Ibid. (1818), Rob Roy, Introd. Chieftains, which in the Highland acceptation, signifies the head of a particular branch of a tribe, in opposition to Chief, who is the leader and commander of the whole name.
1842. Miss Mitford, in L’Estrange, Life, III. ix. 160. She [Lady Willoughby] wore … the chieftain’s bonnet with two eagle’s feathers.
1858. Gladstone, Homer, I. 460. The Macdonalds, Lords of the Isles … who claimed to be Kings as well as Chieftains.
b. of an uncivilized tribe or primitive people.
1837. W. Irving, Capt. Bonneville, II. 165. Prevailing upon the Crow chieftain to return him his horses.
1841. D’Israeli, Amen. Lit. (1867), 53. Beowulf, a chieftain of the Western Danes, was the Achilles of the North.
1844. H. H. Wilson, Brit. India, I. 69. The chieftains of Rajputana, particularly the Rajas of Bundi and Jaypur.
† 4. One who takes a chief or leading part; a leader, principal, head. Obs.
1513. More, Rich. III. (1641), 292. The Chiefetaynes of the conjuration in England.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 412. The Abbot … heeryng that the Chiefeteynes of his Felowship were taken and executed.
1600. Holland, Livy, XL. liii. 1092. To proceed against them who had been the cheeftaines and counsellers to persuade them to passe over the Alpes.
fig. c. 1386. Chaucer, Pers. T., ¶ 313. The deedly synnes, this is to seyn Chieftaynes of synnes … Now been they cleped Chieftaynes for as much as they been chief.
5. Her. = CHIEF sb. 3.
1572. Bossewell, Armorie, II. 30 b. Here the fielde remaynethe perfecte without alteration of coloure, and abydeth onely as charged in the chefetaine.
