Căp'tain1, n.
(kĭp'tĭn, 42), n. [O. Fr. capitain, now capitaine, Pr. capitani, Sp. capitan, Pg. capitão, It. capitano, L. Lat. capitaneus, capitanius, capitanus, from Lat. caput, the head.]
Sense 1. A head, or chief officer; the military officer who commands a company or troop, or who has the rank entitling him to do so, though he may be employed on other service;—also, the commander of a ship, the foreman of a body of workmen, and the like. “A train-band captain eke was he.” Cowper.
The Rhodian captain, relying on his knowledge and the lightness of his vessel, passed, in open day, through all the guards. Arbuthnot.
Sense 2. A man skilled in war or military affairs; a military leader; a warrior. “Foremost captain of his time.” Tennyson.
Captain-general, the commander-in-chief of an army, or of the militia. In the United States the governor of a state is captain-general of the militia.—Captain-lieutenant, an officer, who, with the rank of a captain, and pay of lieutenant, commands a company or troop.