Captain and chief officer are overlapping terms, formal or informal, for the commander of a military unit, the commander of a ship, airplane, spacecraft, or other vessel, or the commander of a port, fire department or police department, election precinct, etc. Captain is a military rank in armies, navies, coast guards, etc., typically at the level of an officer commanding a company of infantry, a ship, or a battery of artillery, or similar distinct unit. Chief officer may be used interchangeably with captain in some situations, as when a Captain-ranked Navy officer is serving as the commander of a ship. The terms also may be used as an informal or honorary title for persons in similar commanding roles. In mining (esp. Cornish), it is an honorific given the superintendent or manager of a mine.
The term "captain" derives from katepánō (Greek: κατεπάνω, lit. "[the one] placed at the top", or "the topmost") which was used as title for a senior Byzantine military rank and office. The word was Latinized as capetanus/catepan, and its meaning seems to have merged with that of the late Latin "capitaneus" (which derives from the classical Latin word "caput", meaning head). This hybridized term gave rise to the English language term captain and its equivalents in other languages (Capitan, Capitano, Capitão, Kapitan, Kapitän, Kapitein, Kapteeni, Kapten, kapitány, Kapudan Pasha, etc.).
Captain (armed forces), a commissioned officer rank corresponding to the field commander of a company of soldiers usually, or that of a battery of an artillery battalion;
Sea captain, senior person or officer usually and lawfully in command of a ship or another type of vessel. See Chief Mate.
Captain (airlines), senior person or officer usually and lawfully in charge of an aircraft
Fire captain, officer in a fire department
Police captain, officer in a police organization
Captain of industry, business leader
Captain of the Port, harbour (UK) or Coast Guard (USA) post
Precinct captain, political party's representative at an election precinct
School captain, student elected or appointed to represent the school
The title of a chieftain in traditional Cretan society, as used by Nikos Kazantzakis in his novel Captain Michalis
Captain Regent, head of state of San Marino
Captain-major, colonial officer of a Portuguese possession
Captain-commandant, a Belgian military rank
The chieftain (Captein) of the Oorlam people in 19th-century South Africa
In Ottoman-ruled Bosnia and Herzegovina (Kapetan), the equivalent of a city mayor and/or sheriff (see Bosnian uprising)
Katepano, a senior Byzantine officer (and word from which "captain" derived)
Kapudan Pasha
Kapitan Cina
Captal, a regional title in Southern France
A rank in the Salvation Army
In business as a corporate title, types of "chief officer" include (or "chief officer" may refer to):
Chief executive officer
Chief operating officer
Chief information officer
Chief technical officer
Chief accounting officer
Chief administrative officer
Chief analytics officer
Chief channel officer
Chief compliance officer
Chief communications officer
Chief Customer Officer
Chief data officer
Chief financial officer
Chief governance officer
Chief information security officer
Chief knowledge officer
Chief learning officer
Chief legal officer
Chief marketing officer
Chief networking officer
Chief operating officer
Chief process officer
Chief procurement officer
Chief risk officer
Chief science officer
Chief strategy officer
Chief sustainability officer
Chief Technology Officer
Chief visionary officer
In education:
Chief Academic Officer
Chief Advancement Officer
Chief Business Officer
In government:
Chief Dental Officer (disambiguation)
Chief District Officer
Chief Electoral Officer (disambiguation)
Chief Fire Officer
Chief Firearms Officer
Chief Medical Officer
Chief police officer
Chief Veterinary Officer
NATO OF-5 / US O-6
Captain (naval)
Captain at Sea
Captain of Sea and War
Captain (Canadian naval rank)
Captain (Royal Navy) (British)
Captain (United States O-6)
NATO OF-2 / US O-3
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain (United States O-3)
Germany
Kapitän
United Kingdom
Captain is a rank in the British Armed Forces used by two separate rank grades:
Captain (Royal Navy), NATO OF-5 grade
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines), NATO OF-2 grade
Generic
Captain (United States)
other captain grades
Ship-of-the-line captain
Senior Captain
Staff captain
Group captain, a senior Air Force rank (generally in Britain and Commonwealth countries)
In the military, "chief officer" may refer to certain non-commissioned members:
Chief Petty Officer
Chief Warrant Officer
Chief officer may refer to marine occupation:
Chief Mate
