Learn Greek › B1 › καπετάνιος
καπετάνιος
captain (of a ship) /kapeˈtanios/
nounB1#1960 most common
Also: skipper, chieftain (historical, leader of an armed band)
Example sentences
Ο καπετάνιος οδηγεί το πλοίο.
The captain steers the ship.
Ο καπετάνιος του πλοίου είναι πολύ έμπειρος.
The ship's captain is very experienced.
Χθες γνώρισα τον καπετάνιο ενός ψαροκάικου.
Yesterday I met the captain of a fishing boat.
Οι επιβάτες εμπιστεύτηκαν τον καπετάνιο όταν ξέσπασε η καταιγίδα.
The passengers trusted the captain when the storm broke out.
Οι καπεταναίοι των κλεφτών οργάνωσαν την εξέγερση εναντίον των Οθωμανών.
The captains of the klephts organized the uprising against the Ottomans.
Στα δημοτικά τραγούδια, ο καπετάνιος συχνά απεικονίζεται ως σύμβολο θάρρους απέναντι στην τυραννία.
In folk songs, the captain is often depicted as a symbol of courage against tyranny.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ο καπετάνιος | οι καπεταναίοι |
| Genitive | του καπετάνιου | των καπεταναίων |
| Accusative | τον καπετάνιο | τους καπεταναίους |
| Vocative | καπετάνιε | καπεταναίοι |
Word family
καπετάνισσαfemale captain, or a captain's wife
καπετανάτοa captaincy; a chieftain's band or company
καπεταν-title used before a first name, as in Καπετάν Γιώργης
Etymology
Καπετάνιος entered Greek from Venetian and Italian capitano, ultimately from Medieval Latin capitaneus, built on Latin caput, meaning head. Venetian sailors and administrators spread the word through the Greek-speaking Mediterranean during centuries of contact. In Greek it settled as the standard word for a ship's captain, and under Ottoman rule it also became the title for the leader of an armed band, such as a klepht or armatolos chieftain.
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