different between captain vs corporal

English

Etymology

From Middle English capitain, capteyn, from Old French capitaine, from Late Latin capit?neus, from Latin caput (“head”) (English cap). Doublet of chieftain, also from Old French.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?kæp.t?n/, /-t?n/
• (US, General Australian) IPA^(key): /?kæp.t?n/
• (naval, informal) IPA^(key): /?kæp.?n/, [?kæpn?], [?kæpm?]

Noun

captain (plural captains)

1. A chief or leader.
   • 1526, The Bible, tr. William Tyndale, Matthew 2:

     For out of the shal come a captaine, whych shall govern my people israhel.

   • 1929, Rudyard Kipling, "The English Way":

     Stand up-stand up, Northumberland! / I bid you answer true, / If England's King has under his hand / A Captain as good as you?

2. The person lawfully in command of a ship or other vessel.

3. An army officer with a rank between the most senior grade of lieutenant and major.

   • "A fine man, that Dunwody, yonder," commented the young captain, as they parted, and as he turned to his prisoner. "We'll see him on in Washington some day. He is strengthening his forces now against Mr. Benton out there. […]."

4. A naval officer with a rank between commander and commodore.
5. A commissioned officer in the United States Navy, Coast Guard, NOAA Corps, or PHS Corps of a grade superior to a commander and junior to a rear admiral (lower half). A captain is equal in grade or rank to an Army, Marine Corps, or Air Force colonel.
7. One of the athletes on a sports team who is designated to make decisions, and is allowed to speak for his team with a referee or official.
   • 2000, Gregory Allen Howard, Remember the Titans

     Captain's supposed to be the leader, right?
8. The leader of a group of workers.
9. The head boy of a school.
10. A maître d', a headwaiter.
    • 1977, Don Felder, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey, lyricists, "Hotel California",

      So I called up the Captain, "Please bring me my wine." / He said: "We haven't had that spirit here since 1969."

11. (Southern US) An honorific title given to a prominent person. See colonel.

Synonyms

• (leader of a group of workers): supervisor, straw boss, foreman
• (commander of a vessel): skipper, master
• (pilot in command): pilot, pilot in command
• (military rank): CAPT, CAPT., Capt., Capt, CPT (abbreviation)

Derived terms

Descendants

• Sranan Tongo: kapten
• ? Irish: captaen

Translations

Verb

captain (third-person singular simple present captains, present participle captaining, simple past and past participle captained)

1. (intransitive) To act as captain
2. (transitive) To exercise command of a ship, aircraft or sports team.

Related terms

Translations

Anagrams

• anti-cap, capitan, patican

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?k??.p??l/, /?k??.p?.??l/
• (US) enPR: kôr'p?r-?l, kôr'pr?l, IPA^(key): /?k??.p?.?l/, /?k??.p??l/

Etymology 1

From Old French corporal (French corporel), from Latin corpor?lis, from Latin corpus (“body”); compare corporeal.

Adjective

corporal (not comparable)

1. (archaic) Having a physical, tangible body; material, corporeal.

   • Into the air; and what seem'd corporal melted as breath into the wind.

2. Of or pertaining to the body, especially the human body; bodily.

3. (zoology) Pertaining to the body (the thorax and abdomen), as distinguished from the head, limbs and wings, etc.
   • 1998, Rüdiger Riehl, Aquarium Atlas, volume 3, page 572:

     The smaller 9 9 have less elongated fins, drabber corporal colors, and more transparent fins.

Synonyms

• bodily
• corporeal

Translations

Derived terms

• corporality
• corporal punishment

Etymology 2

From French caporal, probably influenced by corporal (above), from the Italian caporale, from capo (“head, leader”) from Latin caput (“head”).

Noun

corporal (plural corporals)

1. (military) A non-commissioned officer army rank with NATO code OR-4. The rank below a sergeant but above a lance corporal and private.
2. A non-commissioned officer rank in the police force, below a sergeant but above a private or patrolman.
3. (mining, historical) A worker in charge of the wagonway, reporting to the deputy.

Synonyms

• bombardier

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 3

From the Latin corpor?le, the neuter of corpor?lis representing the doctrine of transubstantiation in which the Eucharist becomes the body of Christ.

Noun

corporal (plural corporals)

2. (ecclesiastical) The white linen cloth on which the elements of the Eucharist are placed; a communion cloth.

Derived terms

• corporal oath

Translations

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin corpor?lis.

Adjective

corporal (epicene, plural corporales)

1. corporal, bodily

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin corpor?lis.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Valencian) IPA^(key): /ko?.po??al/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /kur.pu??al/

Adjective

corporal (masculine and feminine plural corporals)

1. corporal

   Synonym: corpori

Related terms

• cos

Noun

corporal m (plural corporals)

1. corporal (linen cloth)

Further reading

• “corporal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Galician

Etymology

From Latin corpor?lis.

Adjective

corporal m or f (plural corporais)

1. corporal, bodily

   Synonym: corpóreo

Noun

corporal m (plural corporais)

1. corporal (linen cloth)

Further reading

• “corporal” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

Old French

Adjective

corporal m (oblique and nominative feminine singular corporale)

1. Alternative form of corporel

Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin corpor?lis.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ku?pu??a?/

Adjective

corporal m or f (plural corporais, comparable)

1. corporal, carnal

   Synonym: corpóreo

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:corporal.

Derived terms

• corporalmente

Noun

corporal m (plural corporais)

1. corporal

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:corporal.

Further reading

• “corporal” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Romanian

Etymology

From French corporel, from Latin corporalis.

Adjective

corporal m or n (feminine singular corporal?, masculine plural corporali, feminine and neuter plural corporale)

1. corporal

Declension

Related terms

• corporalitate

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin corpor?lis.

Adjective

corporal (plural corporales)

1. (relational) body; corporal

   Synonym: corpóreo

2. bodywide or systemic

   Synonym: corpóreo

Derived terms

Noun

corporal m (plural corporales)

1. corporal (linen cloth)

Further reading

• “corporal” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.