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{{Short description|Title given to a commander}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
'''Captain''' is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, etc. In militaries, the captain is typically at the level of an officer commanding a company or battalion of infantry, a ship, or a battery of artillery, or another distinct unit. It can also be a rank of command in an air force. The term also may be used as an informal or honorary title for persons in similar commanding roles.
==Etymology==
The term "captain" derives from {{Lang|grc-Latn|[[katepánō]]}} ({{Langx|grc|κατεπάνω}}, {{literally|[the one] placed at the top}}, or 'the topmost'), which was used as title for a senior Byzantine military rank and office.<ref>{{Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World, 565–1204}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=May 2021}} The word was Latinized as {{Lang|grc-Latn|capetanus or catepan|labels=no}}, and its meaning seems to have merged with that of the late Latin {{langx|la|capitaneus|label=none}} (which derives from the classical Latin word {{langx|la|caput|label=none}}, meaning head).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/captain|title=Definition of CAPTAIN|website=www.merriam-webster.com|language=en|access-date=2020-01-06}}</ref> This hybridized term gave rise to the English language term captain and its equivalents in other languages ({{lang|es|Capitan}}, {{lang|fr|Capitaine}}, {{lang|it|Capitano}}, {{lang|pt|Capitão}}, {{lang|ru-Latn|Kapitan}}, {{lang|de|Kapitän}}, {{lang|nl|Kapitein}}, {{lang|fi|Kapteeni}}, {{lang|sv|Kapten}}, ''kapitány'', ''Kapudan Pasha'', ''Kobtan'', etc.).
==Occupations or roles==
* [[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 (company second-in-command or specialist platoon commander in UK). It is also a rank of command in the air force.
* [[Captain (naval)]], a commissioned officer rank in the navy, corresponding to the rank of Army colonel, Air force colonel.
* [[Captain (nautical)]], a licensed person or civilian marine officer who is legally in command of a merchant  ship, a yacht or another type of vessel that may or may not be carrying passengers for hire; corresponds to the work condition of [[shipmaster]] or, as usually said, [[Sea captain|master]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/25/travel/captain-kate-mccue-women-celebrity-cruises.html |last=Mzezewa |first=Tariro |date=February 25, 2019 |title=Please Call Her Captain |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=January 6, 2020}}</ref>
* [[Captain (airlines)]], a licensed civilian airman or person who is legally in command of a civilian aircraft; corresponding to the work condition of [[pilot in command]] colloquially said [[Pilot in command|PIC]].
* [[Fire captain]], officer in a fire department.
* [[Police captain]], officer in a police organization.
* [[Group Captain]], a senior commissioned rank in many air forces.
* [[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.
* [[Barangay captain]], Head of Barangay (Village) in the Philippines
* [[School captain]], student elected or appointed to represent the school.
* [[Captain Regent]], head of state of [[San Marino]].
* [[Captain-major]], colonial officer of a Portuguese possession.
* [[Captain-commandant]], a Belgian military rank.
* [[Katepano]], a senior Byzantine officer (and word from which "captain" derived).
* [[Kapudan Pasha]]
* [[Kapitan Cina]]
* [[Captal]], a regional title in [[Languedoc|Southern France]].
== Military ranks ==
=== Canada ===
* [[Captain (Canadian naval rank)]]
* [[Captain (Canadian army and air force)]]
=== Germany ===
* [[Kapitän]] bzw. „Kapitän zur See“ (Deutsche Marine), Nato OF-5 grade
* [[Hauptmann]], the german equivalent of Captain in Army (Armee/Heer) and Air Force (Luftwaffe)
=== India ===
* [[Captain (Indian Navy)]]
* [[Group captain (India)]]
* [[Captain (Indian Army)]]
=== Israel ===
* [[Israel Defense Forces ranks#Seren|Seren]], an [[Israel Defense Forces]] officer rank whether Army, Air Force, or Navy
===South Africa===
* Captain is a [[South African National Defence Force]] officer rank of the [[South African Army]], [[South African Air Force]], [[South African Navy]], [[South African Military Health Service]]
=== United Kingdom ===
* [[Captain (Royal Navy)]], NATO OF-5 grade
* [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)]], NATO OF-2 grade
* [[Group Captain]] (Royal Air Force), NATO OF-5 grade
=== United States ===
* [[Captain (United States)]]
* [[Captain (United States O-3)]] (US Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, or Space Force)
* [[Captain (United States O-6)]] (US Navy, US Public Health Service, or Coast Guard)
=== Generic ===
* [[Captain (naval)]]
* [[Captain at sea]]
* [[Captain of sea and war]]
* Other captain grades
** [[Ship-of-the-line captain]]
** [[Senior Captain]]
** [[Staff captain]]
==See also==
* [[Captain (sports)]]
* [[Chief executive officer]]
* [[Capitaine (disambiguation)]]
* [[Capitan (disambiguation)]]
* [[El Capitan (disambiguation)]], Spanish for "The Captain"
* [[Kapitan (disambiguation)]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
<!--admin cat, pls keep even if this is no longer a SIA-->
{{Set index article}}
[[Category:Military command staff occupations]]
[[Category:Military ranks]]
[[Category:Naval ranks]]
[[Category:Police ranks]]
[[Category:Former disambiguation pages converted to set index articles]]
[[Category:Captains| ]]