Where does “chieftaincy” come from?

Chieftaincy comes from Middle English cheftayne, derived from Latin -cia and -ia suffixes attached to Latin caput meaning head, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kauput-.

chieftaincy (English): The position or period of rule of a chief; The...

Definitions

  1. The position or period of rule of a chief; The...

Ancestry of “chieftaincy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishchieftainA leader of a clan or tribe; A leader of a group
2English-essSuffix appended to words to make a female...
3French-esseused to form nouns describing the condition of...
4Italian-essa-ess
5Portuguese-esafeminine singular of -ês
6Spanish-esafeminine singular of -és
7Spanish-ésForms nouns and adjectives of nationality;...
8Spanishpolíticapolitics; policy; female equivalent of político
9Spanishpolíticopolitical; in-law; politician
10Latinpolīticuspolitical, civil, of the state, relating to civil polity
11Swedishpolitiskpolitical, having to do with politics
12Swedishpolitikpolitics
13Ancient Greekπολιτικόςcivic, constitutional, public; social
14Ancient Greekπολῑ́τηςcitizen
15Ancient Greekπόλιςcity; a whole country, as dependent on and called...
16Proto-Hellenicptóliscity
17Proto-Indo-EuropeantpólHis
Every word from Proto-Indo-European tpólHis
chieftaincy — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer