captain

Etymology

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.

noun

1. A chief or leader.
   Stand up-stand up, Northumberland! / I bid you answer true, / If England's King has under his hand / A Captain as good as you? 1929, Rudyard Kipling, The English Way
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.
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.
6. 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.
   Captain's supposed to be the leader, right? 2000, Gregory Allen Howard, Remember the Titans
   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. May 5, 2012, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport
7. The leader of a group of workers.
   John Henry said to the captain, "A man ain't nothing but a man."
   The assistant mine captains then reported to the mine captain in charge of all underground operations and subordinate only to the superintendent himself. 1990, Marshall C. Eakin, A British Enterprise in Brazil
8. The head boy of a school.
9. 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."
10. (Southern US) An honorific title given to a prominent person. See colonel.

verb

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