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căpitan

captain /kəpiˈtan/

noun#418 most common

Also: skipper, team captain

Example sentences

Tatăl meu este căpitan.
My father is a captain.
Căpitanul echipei a marcat un gol.
The team captain scored a goal.
Căpitanul vasului a dat ordinul de plecare.
The ship's captain gave the order to depart.
Fără căpitan, echipajul nu ar fi supraviețuit furtunii.
Without the captain, the crew would not have survived the storm.
Deciziile luate de căpitan în acele momente critice au salvat nava de la naufragiu.
The decisions the captain made in those critical moments saved the ship from sinking.
Deși fusese retrogradat, fostul căpitan continua să fie respectat de toți cei care serviseră sub comanda lui.
Although he had been demoted, the former captain continued to be respected by all those who had served under his command.

Declension

CaseSingularPlural
Nominativecăpitancăpitani
Genitivecăpitanuluicăpitanilor
Accusativecăpitancăpitani
Vocativecăpitanecăpitani

Word family

căpităniecaptaincy, or a harbor master's office
căpitănescbelonging to or typical of a captain
căpeteniechieftain, leader of a group
căpitan de vasship's captain

Etymology

Căpitan entered Romanian in the modern period through French capitaine and Italian capitano, both descending from Medieval Latin capitaneus, meaning chief or head man. That Latin word derives from caput, head, the same root that gives Romanian its own native words for head and leader. So căpitan is a re-borrowing of a root Romanian already had, dressed in French and Italian clothing.

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