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 aircraftFire captain, officer in a fire departmentPolice captain, officer in a police organizationCaptain of industry, business leaderCaptain of the Port, harbour (UK) or Coast Guard (USA) postPrecinct captain, political party's representative at an election precinctSchool captain, student elected or appointed to represent the schoolThe title of a chieftain in traditional Cretan society, as used by Nikos Kazantzakis in his novel Captain MichalisCaptain Regent, head of state of San MarinoCaptain-major, colonial officer of a Portuguese possessionCaptain-commandant, a Belgian military rankThe chieftain (Captein) of the Oorlam people in 19th-century South AfricaIn 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 PashaKapitan CinaCaptal, a regional title in Southern FranceA rank in the Salvation ArmyIn business as a corporate title, types of "chief officer" include (or "chief officer" may refer to):
Chief executive officerChief operating officerChief information officerChief technical officerChief accounting officerChief administrative officerChief analytics officerChief channel officerChief compliance officerChief communications officerChief Customer OfficerChief data officerChief financial officerChief governance officerChief information security officerChief knowledge officerChief learning officerChief legal officerChief marketing officerChief networking officerChief operating officerChief process officerChief procurement officerChief risk officerChief science officerChief strategy officerChief sustainability officerChief Technology OfficerChief visionary officerIn education:
Chief Academic OfficerChief Advancement OfficerChief Business OfficerIn government:
Chief Dental Officer (disambiguation)Chief District OfficerChief Electoral Officer (disambiguation)Chief Fire OfficerChief Firearms OfficerChief Medical OfficerChief police officerChief Veterinary OfficerNATO OF-5 / US O-6Captain (naval)Captain at SeaCaptain of Sea and WarCaptain (Canadian naval rank)Captain (Royal Navy) (British)Captain (United States O-6)NATO OF-2 / US O-3Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)Captain (United States O-3)GermanyKapitänUnited KingdomCaptain is a rank in the British Armed Forces used by two separate rank grades:
Captain (Royal Navy), NATO OF-5 gradeCaptain (British Army and Royal Marines), NATO OF-2 gradeGenericCaptain (United States)other captain gradesShip-of-the-line captainSenior CaptainStaff captainGroup 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 OfficerChief Warrant OfficerChief officer may refer to marine occupation:
Chief Mate 