1. [n]  a diningroom attendant who is in charge of the waiters and the seating of customers
2. [n]  the pilot ins charge of an airship
3. [n]  the naval officer in command of a military ship
4. [n]  a policeman in charge of a precinct
5. [n]  an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
6. [n]  the leader of a group of people; "a captain of industry"
7. [n]  an officer who is licensed to command a merchant ship
8. [v]  be the captain of a sports team

1. \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.
   
   

2. \Cap"tain\, v. t.
   To act as captain of; to lead. [R.]
   
         Men who captained or accompanied the exodus from
         existing forms. --Lowell.
   
   

3. \Cap"tain\, a.
   Chief; superior. [R.]
   
         captain jewes in the carcanet.           --Shak.
   
   

(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.)