See also:

• CAPTAIN (derived from Lat. ca put, head, through the Low Lat. capitanus)

CAPTAIN (derived from See also:

• LAT

Lat. ca put, See also:

• HEAD (in 0. Eng. heafad; the word is common to Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch hoofd, Ger. Haupt, generally taken to be in origin connected with Lat. caput, Gr. KerbOvi7)
• HEAD, SIR EDMUND WALKER, BART
• HEAD, SIR FRANCIS BOND, BART

head, through the See also:

• LOW, SETH (1850- )
• LOW, WILL HICOK (1853- )

Low Lat. capitanus)  , a See also:

• CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief or See also:

• LEADER, BENJAMIN WILLIAMS (1831– )

leader, in various connexions, but particularly a grade officer in the See also:

• ARMY
• ARMY (from Fr. armee, Lat. armata)

army or See also:

• NAVY

navy . At See also:

• SEA (in O. Eng. sae, a common Teutonic word; cf. Ger. See, Dutch Zee, &c.; the ultimate source is uncertain)
• SEA, COMMAND OF THE

sea the name of See also:

• CAPTAIN (derived from Lat. ca put, head, through the Low Lat. capitanus)

captain is given to all who command See also:

• SHIPS

ships whether they belong to the military navy of their See also:

• COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country or not, or whether they hold the substantive See also:

• RANK (O.Fr. rant or rent, mod. rang, generally connected with the O.E. and O.H.G. bring, a ring)

rank or not . Thus a See also:

• LIEUTENANT

lieutenant when in command of a See also:

• VESSEL (O. Fr. vaissel, from a rare Lat. vascellum, dim. of vas, vase, urn)

vessel is addressed as captain. i293 In See also:

• FRANCE
• FRANCE, ANATOLE (1844– )

France a See also:

• NAVAL

naval lieutenant is addressed as mon capitaine, because he has that See also:

• COMPARATIVE

comparative rank in the army . The See also:

• MASTER (Lat. magister, related to tnagis, more, as the corresponding minister is to minus, less; the English form is due partly to the O. Eng. maegister, and partly to O. Fr. maistre, mod. maitre; cf. Du. meester, Ger. Meister, Ital. maestro)

master of a See also:

• MERCHANT (O. Fr. marcheant, modern marchand; from Lat. mercari, to trade, merx, goods, merchandise)

merchant See also:

• SHIP

ship is known as her captain . But the name is also used in the strict sense of foreman, or See also:

• HEAD (in 0. Eng. heafad; the word is common to Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch hoofd, Ger. Haupt, generally taken to be in origin connected with Lat. caput, Gr. KerbOvi7)
• HEAD, SIR EDMUND WALKER, BART
• HEAD, SIR FRANCIS BOND, BART

head See also:

• MAN
• MAN, ISLE OF (anc. Mona)

man, to describe many of the See also:

• MINOR
• MINOR (Lat. for smaller, lesser)
• MINOR, ROBERT CRANNELL (1839-1904)

minor or " See also:

• PETTY, SIR WILLIAM (1623-1687)

petty " See also:

• OFFICERS

officers of a See also:

• BRITISH

British or See also:

• AMERICAN

American man-of-See also:

• WAR
• WAR (O. Eng. werre, Fr. guerre, of Teutonic origin; cf. O.H.G. werran, to confound)

war—the captain of a See also:

• TOP (cf. Dan. top, Ger. Topf, also meaning pot)

top, of the forecastle, or of a See also:

• GUN

gun . The See also:

• TITLE (0. Fr. title, mod. titre, from Lat. titulus)

title " See also:

• POST

post captain " in the British navy means simply full captain, and is the See also:

• EQUIVALENT

equivalent of the See also:

• FRENCH
• FRENCH, DANIEL CHESTER (1850– )
• FRENCH, NICHOLAS (1604-1678)

French capitaine de vaisseau . It had its origin in the fact that captains appointed to a ship of twenty guns and upwards were included in, or " posted " on, the permanent See also:

• LIST (O.E. lisle, a Teutonic word, cf. Dut. lust, Ger. Leiste, adapted in Ital. lista and Fr. lisle)
• LIST, FRIEDRICH (1789-1846)

list of captains from among whom the admirals were chosen . The captain of the See also:

• FLEET

fleet is an officer who acts as chief of the See also:

• STAFF (O. Eng. staef, cf. Du. staf, Ger. Stab, &c.; Icel. stafr meant also a written letter, and O. Eng. stafas, the letters of the alphabet; " stave," one of the thin pieces of wood of which a cask is made, is a doublet)

staff to an See also:

• ADMIRAL

admiral commanding a large force . The position is equivalent to See also:

• FLAG (or " FLAGGE," a common Teutonic word in this sense, but apparently first recorded in English)

flag rank, but is held by a captain . Staff captain is the highest grade of the officers entrusted with the nayigation of a ship or fleet . The military rank of captain (Fr. capitaine, Ger . See also:

• HAUPTMANN, GERHART (1862— )
• HAUPTMANN, MORITZ (1792—1868)

Hauptmann, or in the See also:

• CAVALRY (Fr. cavalerie, Ger. Kavallerie or Reiterei, derived ultimately from late Lat. caballus, horse)

cavalry, Rittmeister) , which was formerly the title of an officer of high rank corresponding to the See also:

• MODERN

modern See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general officer or See also:

• COLONEL (derived either from Lat. column, Fr. colonne, column, or Lat. corona, a crown)

colonel, has with the See also:

• GRADUAL (Med. Lat. gradualis, of or belonging to steps or degrees; gradus, step)

gradual subdivision and See also:

• ARTICULATION (from Lat. articulare, to divide into joints)

articulation of armies, come to be applied to the commanders of companies or squadrons, and in general to officers of the grade equivalent to this command (see OFFICERS) .

The title of " captain-general " was formerly used in the general sense of a military See also:

• COMMANDER

commander-in-chief, and is still similarly used in See also:

• SPAIN
• SPAIN (Espana)

Spain . In the See also:

• SPANISH

Spanish army there are eight captains-general, each of whom has command of a " region " corresponding to an army See also:

• CORPS (pronounced as in French, from which it is taken, being a late spelling of tors, from Lat. corpus, a body; cf. " corpse ")

corps See also:

• DISTRICT

district . The same title was formerly given to the Spanish See also:

• GOVERNORS

governors of the colonial provinces in the New See also:

• WORLD

World .