Captain : (noun)
1: an officer holding a rank below a major but above a
lieutenant
2: the naval officer in command of a military ship [syn: skipper]
3: a policeman in charge of a precinct [syn: police captain,
police chief]
4: an officer who is licensed to command a merchant ship [syn:
master, sea captain, skipper]
5: the leader of a group of people; "a captain of industry"
[syn: chieftain]
6: the pilot ins charge of an airship [syn: senior pilot]
7: a diningroom attendant who is in charge of the waiters and
the seating of customers [syn: headwaiter, maitre
d'hotel, maitre d']
(verb)
1: be the captain of a sports team
Based on WordNet 2.0
|
|
Captain : \Cap"tain\, v. t.
To act as captain of; to lead. [R.]
Men who captained or accompanied the exodus from
existing forms. --Lowell.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
|
|
Captain : \Cap"tain\, a.
Chief; superior. [R.]
captain jewes in the carcanet. --Shak.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
|
|
Captain : \Cap"tain\ (k[a^]p"t[i^]n), n. [OE. capitain, captain,
OF. capitain, F. capitaine (cf. Sp. capitan, It. capitano),
LL. capitaneus, capitanus, fr. L. caput the head. See under
Chief, and cf. Chieftain.]
1. A head, or chief officer; as:
(a) The military officer who commands a company, troop, or
battery, or who has the rank entitling him to do so
though he may be employed on other service.
(b) An officer in the United States navy, next above a
commander and below a commodore, and ranking with a
colonel in the army.
(c) By courtesy, an officer actually commanding a vessel,
although not having the rank of captain.
(d) The master or commanding officer of a merchant vessel.
(e) One in charge of a portion of a ship's company; as, a
captain of a top, captain of a gun, etc.
(f) The foreman of a body of workmen.
(g) A person having authority over others acting in
concert; as, the captain of a boat's crew; the captain
of a football team.
A trainband captain eke was he. --Cowper.
The Rhodian captain, relying on . . . the
lightness of his vessel, passed, in open day,
through all the guards. --Arbuthnot.
2. A military leader; a warrior.
Foremost captain of his time. --Tennyson.
Captain general.
(a) The commander in chief of an army or armies, or of the
militia.
(b) The Spanish governor of Cuba and its dependent
islands.
Captain lieutenant, a lieutenant with the rank and duties
of captain but with a lieutenant's pay, -- as in the first
company of an English regiment.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
|
|
Captain : or SEA CAPTAIN, mar. law. The name given to the master or commander
of a vessel. He is known in this country very generally by the name of
master. (q.v.) He is also frequently denominated patron in foreign laws and
books.
2. The captains in the navy of the United States, are officers
appointed by government. Those who are employed in the mercantile service,
have not strictly an official character. They are appointed or employed by
the owners on the vessels they command.
3. It is proposed to consider the duty of the latter. Towards the
owner of the vessel he is bound by his personal attention and care, to take
all the necessary precautions for her safety; to, proceed on the voyage in
which such vessel may be engaged, and to obey faithfully his instructions;
and by all means in his power to promote the interest of his owner. But he
is not required to violate good faith, nor employ fraud even with an enemy.
3 Cranch, 242.
4. Towards others, it is the policy of the law to hold him responsible
for all losses or damages that may happen to the goods committed to his
charge; whether they arise from negligence, ignorance, or willful misconduct
of himself or his mariners, or any other person on board the ship. As soon,
therefore, as goods are put on board, they are in the master's charge, and
he is bound to deliver them again in the same state in which they were
shipped, and he is answerable for all losses or damages they may sustain,
unless it proceed from an inherent defect in the article, or from some
accident or misfortune which could not be prevented.
5. It may be laid down as a general rule, that the captain is
responsible when any loss occurs in consequence of his doing what he ought
not to do, unless he was forced by the act of God,. the enemies of the
United States, or the perils of the sea.1 Marsh. Ins. 241; Pard. n. 658.
6. The rights of the captain are, to choose his crew as he is
responsible for their acts, this seems but just, but a reasonable deference
to the rights of the owner require that he should be consulted, as he, as
well as the captain, is responsible for the acts of the crew. On board, the
captain is invested with almost arbitrary power over the crew, being
responsible for the abuse of his authority. Ab. on Shipp. 162. He may repair
the ship, and, if he is not in funds to pay the expenses of such repairs, he
may borrow money, when abroad, on the credit of his owners or of the ship.
Abb. on Sh. 127-8. In such cases, although contracting within the ordinary
scope of his powers and duties, he is generally responsible as well as the
owner. This is the established rule of the maritime law, introduced in favor
of commerce it has been recognized and adopted by the commercial nations of,
Europe, and is derived from the civil or Roman law. Abbott, Ship. 90; Story,
Ag. Sec. 116 to 123, Sec. 294; Paley, Ag. by Lloyd, 244; 1 Liverm. Ag. 70;
Poth. Ob. n. 82; Ersk. Inst. 3, 3, 43; Dig. 4, 9, 1; Poth. Pand. lib. 14,
tit. 1; 3 Summ. R. 228. See Bell's Com. 505, 6th ed; Bouv. Inst. Index, h.t.
Based on Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [Bouvier_Law_Dictionary]:
|
|
Captain : (1.) Heb. sar (1 Sam. 22:2; 2 Sam. 23:19). Rendered "chief,"
Gen. 40:2; 41:9; rendered also "prince," Dan. 1:7; "ruler,"
Judg. 9:30; "governor,' 1 Kings 22:26. This same Hebrew word
denotes a military captain (Ex. 18:21; 2 Kings 1:9; Deut. 1:15;
1 Sam. 18:13, etc.), the "captain of the body-guard" (Gen.
37:36; 39:1; 41:10; Jer. 40:1), or, as the word may be rendered,
"chief of the executioners" (marg.). The officers of the king's
body-guard frequently acted as executioners. Nebuzar-adan (Jer.
39:13) and Arioch (Dan. 2:14) held this office in Babylon.
The "captain of the guard" mentioned in Acts 28:16 was the
Praetorian prefect, the commander of the Praetorian troops.
(2.) Another word (Heb. katsin) so translated denotes
sometimes a military (Josh. 10:24; Judg. 11:6, 11; Isa. 22:3
"rulers;" Dan. 11:18) and sometimes a civil command, a judge,
magistrate, Arab. _kady_, (Isa. 1:10; 3:6; Micah 3:1, 9).
(3.) It is also the rendering of a Hebrew word (shalish)
meaning "a third man," or "one of three." The LXX. render in
plural by _tristatai_; i.e., "soldiers fighting from chariots,"
so called because each war-chariot contained three men, one of
whom acted as charioteer while the other two fought (Ex. 14:7;
15:4; 1 Kings 9:22; comp. 2 Kings 9:25). This word is used also
to denote the king's body-guard (2 Kings 10:25; 1 Chr. 12:18; 2
Chr. 11:11) or aides-de-camp.
(4.) The "captain of the temple" mentioned in Acts 4:1 and
5:24 was not a military officer, but superintendent of the guard
of priests and Levites who kept watch in the temple by night.
(Comp. "the ruler of the house of God," 1 Chr. 9:11; 2 Chr.
31:13; Neh. 11:11.)
(5.) The Captain of our salvation is a name given to our Lord
(Heb. 2:10), because he is the author and source of our
salvation, the head of his people, whom he is conducting to
glory. The "captain of the Lord's host" (Josh. 5:14, 15) is the
name given to that mysterious person who manifested himself to
Abraham (Gen. 12:7), and to Moses in the bush (Ex. 3:2, 6, etc.)
the Angel of the covenant. (See ANGEL.)
Based on Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [Bouvier_Law_Dictionary]:
|
|
|
|
