chef

See also: Chef, chèf, and chef-

English

Etymology

Etymology tree
substratebor.?
Proto-Indo-European *kap-?
Proto-Indo-European *kap-
Proto-Indo-European *káput
Proto-Italic *kaput
Latin caput
Vulgar Latin capus
Old French chief
Middle French chief
French chefubor.
English chef

    Unadapted borrowing from French chef (from the positions of chef d'office and chef de cuisine),[1] from Old French chief (“head, leader”) (English chief), from Vulgar Latin capus (“head”) (from which also captain, chieftain), from Latin caput (“head”) (possibly related to English cap (“head covering”)).

    Doublet of cape, capo, caput, and chief through Latin, and head and Howth through Proto-Indo-European.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ʃɛf/, (spelling pronunciation) /t͡ʃɛf/
    • Audio (Australia):(file)
    • Rhymes: -ɛf

    Noun

    chef (plural chefs)

    1. The presiding cook in the kitchen of a large household.
      • a. 1845, R. H. Barham, Blasphemer's Warning in Ingoldsby Legends (1847), 3rd Ser., 245
        The Chef's peace of mind was restor'd, And in due time a banquet was placed on the board.
    2. The head cook of a restaurant or other establishment.
    3. Any cook.
      My partner is the chef of the household, while I do most of the cleaning.
      • 2020 May 7, Genesia Ting, “How Newton Nguyen is inspiring a young generation of home chefs”, in Los Angeles Times‎[1], Los Angeles, Calif.: Los Angeles Times Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 8 May 2020:
        The videos are easy to follow — and short. His style is consistent and effective; his recipes have built a microcosm of predominantly young, first-time chefs with a penchant for TikTok-able entertainment. “I’m just a regular guy, and not a chef at all,” Nguyen said.
    4. (slang) One who manufactures illegal drugs; a cook.
      • 1998, SPIN, volume 14, number 3, page 100:
        But trying to stop all the nation's meth chefs makes as much sense as building a wall along the Mexican border.
      • 2013, Mike Power, Drugs 2.0:
        Owsley Stanley, the world's most exacting and prolific LSD chef who supplied the majority of America's West Coast with LSD in the 1960s, claimed he made so much acid not because he wanted to change the world, but rather because it was almost impossible not to make vast quantities of the drug once the synthesis had been embarked upon.
    5. (historical) A reliquary in the shape of a head.

    Usage notes

    • When used in reference to a cook with no sous-chefs or other workers beneath him, the term connotes a certain degree of prestige—whether culinary education or ability—distinguishing the chef from a “cook”. As a borrowing, chef was originally italicized, but such treatment is now obsolete.

    Within a catering establishment, the head cook (and no-one else) will normally be addressed simply as "chef" as a term of respect.

    Synonyms

    Hypernyms

    Derived terms

    Descendants

    • → Afrikaans: sjef
    • → Malay: cef
    • → Maltese: xeff
    • → Thai: เชฟ (chéep)

    Translations

    Verb

    chef (third-person singular simple present chefs, present participle cheffing, simple past and past participle cheffed)

    1. (stative, informal) To work as a chef; to prepare and cook food professionally.
      • 1953, The Deke Quarterly, volume 71, number 4, page 32:
        It was Brick who talked on alumni relations with the active chapters and who cheffed at our steak fry (more of that later) and Mrs. Cowles who took over  […]
      • 1996, Sonora Review, number 31, page 110:
        I cheffed part-time at a nice restaurant in town.
      • 2007, Indianapolis Monthly, page 68:
        He opened Oakleys in 2002, having formerly cheffed at the late, much-missed Something Different and, before that, world-renowned kitchens in Chicago […]
      • 2020, William Sitwell, The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:
        A man called Richard Briggs cheffed at the Globe Tavern on Fleet Street, the White Hart Tavern in Holborn and the Temple Coffee House.
    2. (MLE, transitive) To stab with a knife, to shank.
      Synonyms: ching, splash; see also Thesaurus:stab
      He got cheffed up proper.
      • 2016, “Skeng Man”, ASAP of 67 (lyrics):
        Still on my knife work chef him up with that rambo
      • 2017 June 13, @louistheroux [Louis Theroux], Twitter‎[2] (post), archived from the original on 8 November 2023:
        Child just said he'd "chef me up". I said not hungry, but it restored my faith in young generation, offering to cook for strangers.
      • 2018 August 9, “Pallance 2.0”, Taze of SMG (lyrics):
        He got cheffed in the A in the head
      • 2018 August 16, “Ks On Who”, Sav12 of 12World (lyrics):
        Third time he was out of luck
        He tripped up and got cheffed
      • 2019 October 9, Manuel Petrovic, quotee, “Jodie Chesney: Killer targeted 'wrong people' court told”, in BBC News‎[3], archived from the original on 6 November 2019:
        Asked how he knew that, he replied: "Uh? Because I know that ... It was to do with Svenson's op - they cheffed him up a couple of month or something, a couple of months before.
    3. (Internet slang) To impress others.
      • 2020, “Drip Like Me”, performed by Kenndog:
        thinkin' that I be cheffin'.'

    Derived terms

    Descendants

    References

    1. ^ “chef”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

    Basque

    Etymology

    Etymology tree
    substratebor.?
    Proto-Indo-European *kap-?
    Proto-Indo-European *kap-
    Proto-Indo-European *káput
    Proto-Italic *kaput
    Latin caput
    Vulgar Latin capus
    Old French chief
    Middle French chief
    French chefubor.
    Basque chef

      Unadapted borrowing from French chef.

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /t͡ʃef/ [t͡ʃef], /ʃef/ [ʃef]
      • Rhymes: -ef
      • Hyphenation: chef

      Noun

      chef anim

      1. chef (head cook)
        Synonym: sukaldariburu

      Declension

      Declension of chef (anim C-stem)
      indefinite singular plural proximal plural
      absolutive chef chefa chefak chefok
      ergative chefek chefak chefek chefok
      dative chefi chefari chefei chefoi
      genitive chefen chefaren chefen chefon
      comitative chefekin chefarekin chefekin chefokin
      causative chefengatik chefarengatik chefengatik chefongatik
      benefactive chefentzat chefarentzat chefentzat chefontzat
      instrumental chefez chefaz chefez chefotaz
      inessive chefengan chefarengan chefengan chefongan
      locative — — — —
      allative chefengana chefarengana chefengana chefongana
      terminative chefenganaino chefarenganaino chefenganaino chefonganaino
      directive chefenganantz chefarenganantz chefenganantz chefonganantz
      destinative chefenganako chefarenganako chefenganako chefonganako
      ablative chefengandik chefarengandik chefengandik chefongandik
      partitive chefik — — —
      prolative cheftzat — — —

      Further reading

      • “chef”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]

      Danish

      Etymology

      Unadapted borrowing from French chef.

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /ˈsjɛːˀf/, [ˈɕeˀf]

      Noun

      chef c (singular definite chefen, plural indefinite chefer)

      1. A boss; person in charge, person who directly oversees the work being done
        Synonym: (informal) boss

      Declension

      Declension of chef
      common
      gender       		singular plural
      indefinite definite indefinite definite
      nominative chef chefen chefer cheferne
      genitive chefs chefens chefers chefernes

      Derived terms

      • administrationschef
      • afdelingschef
      • ankechef
      • annoncechef
      • balletchef
      • bataljonschef
      • batterichef
      • brandchef
      • brigadechef
      • bureauchef
      • butikschef
      • chef-
      • chefanalytiker
      • chefdesigner
      • chefdirigent
      • chefforhandler
      • chefgruppe
      • chefideolog
      • chefingeniør
      • chefjurist
      • chefkok
      • chefkonsulent
      • chefkontor
      • chefkriminalinspektør
      • cheflæge
      • chefoptiker
      • chefpilot
      • chefpolitiinspektør
      • chefpost
      • chefpsykolog
      • chefredaktion
      • chefredaktør
      • chefsekretær
      • chefsergent
      • chefstilling
      • chefstol
      • cheftræner
      • cheføkonom
      • dagtilbudschef
      • departementschef
      • designchef
      • distriktschef
      • divisionschef
      • drabschef
      • dramachef
      • driftschef
      • edb-chef
      • efterretningschef
      • eksportchef
      • erhvervschef
      • eskadrechef
      • eskadronchef
      • fabrikschef
      • filialchef
      • finanschef
      • forskningschef
      • forsvarschef
      • forvaltningschef
      • generalstabschef
      • hofchef
      • hærchef
      • indkøbschef
      • informationschef
      • juniorchef
      • kabinetschef
      • kanalchef
      • klinikchef
      • kommunikationschef
      • kompagnichef
      • koncernchef
      • kontorchef
      • korpschef
      • køkkenchef
      • laboratoriechef
      • landsholdschef
      • logistikchef
      • løbschef
      • markedschef
      • marketingchef
      • maskinchef
      • musikchef
      • nyhedschef
      • områdechef
      • operachef
      • partichef
      • personalechef
      • planlægningschef
      • politichef
      • pressechef
      • produktchef
      • produktionschef
      • programchef
      • projektchef
      • protokolchef
      • receptionschef
      • redaktionschef
      • rederichef
      • regeringschef
      • regimentschef
      • regionschef
      • regnskabschef
      • restaurantchef
      • rigspolitichef
      • salgschef
      • sekretariatschef
      • sektionschef
      • seniorchef
      • sikkerhedschef
      • skattechef
      • skibschef
      • skuespilchef
      • socialchef
      • souschef
      • spionchef
      • sportschef
      • stabschef
      • statschef
      • styrelseschef
      • teamchef
      • teaterchef
      • tjenestegrenschef
      • topchef
      • turistchef
      • uddannelseschef
      • udviklingschef
      • vagtchef
      • vicekontorchef
      • vicepolitichef
      • økonomichef

      See also

      References

      Dutch

      Etymology

      Unadapted borrowing from French chef.

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /ʃɛf/
      • Audio:(file)
      • Hyphenation: chef
      • Rhymes: -ɛf

      Noun

      chef m (plural chefs, diminutive chefje n, female equivalent cheffin)

      1. a boss, chief, head, leader
        Synonym: baas
      2. a culinary chef, a head cook
        Synonym: chef-kok
      3. Short for a title including chef.
      4. (Suriname) A form of address to a working-class man
        Chef, halte hoor.
        Driver, I'd like to get off the bus here.

      Derived terms

      Descendants

      • → Caribbean Javanese: sèf
      • → Indonesian: sep
      • → Javanese: ꦱꦺꦥ꧀ (sèp)
      • → Papiamentu: shèf

      French

      Etymology

        Inherited from Middle French chief, from Old French chief, from Vulgar Latin capus, from Latin caput (“head”), from Proto-Italic *kaput, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kauput-, *kaput-. Doublet of cap.

        Pronunciation

        Noun

        chef m (plural chefs)

        D'or au chef de gueules, qui est des Seigneurs de Wiltz.
        1. (now literary) head
          opiner du chef
          to nod
        2. article, principal point
          les principaux chefs d’une demande
          the main points of a request
        3. principal motive, charge, count of indictment
          Le procureur a tenu à refaire une lecture des chefs d’accusation.
          The prosecutor insisted on reading off the counts of indictment again.
        4. (heraldry) chief; top third of a coat of arms
          d'or au chef de gueules
          or, a chief gules

        Derived terms

        Noun

        chef m (plural chefs, feminine cheffe)

        Le Chef de l’Hôtel Chatham, William Orpen, 1921.
        1. a boss, chief, leader
          Le pape est le chef de l’Église.
          The pope is the head of the church.
        2. a culinary chef, chief cook
          Créant dans des établissements de prestige de nombreuses recettes reprises ensuite par d'autres chefs, Escoffier a fait connaitre internationalement la cuisine française.
          Creating in prestigious establishments many recipes that were later taken up by other cooks, Escoffier made French cuisine internationally known.

        Derived terms

        Descendants

        Further reading

        Italian

        Alternative forms

        Etymology

        Unadapted borrowing from French chef (“head; chief”), from Middle French chief, from Old French chief, from Vulgar Latin capus, from Latin caput (“head”), from Proto-Italic *kaput, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *káput. Doublet of capo.

        Pronunciation

        • IPA(key): */ˈʃɛf/[1]
        • Rhymes: -ɛf

        Noun

        chef m (invariable)

        1. (cooking) chef (head cook)
          Synonym: capocuoco
        2. (by extension) a sophisticated cook

        References

        1. ^ “chef” in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

        Further reading

        • “chef”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026

        Middle English

        Etymology 1

          From Old French chief, from Latin caput.

          Alternative forms

          Pronunciation

          • IPA(key): /t͡ʃeːf/

          Noun

          chef (uncountable)

          1. A leader, boss, or director; a chief official; one in charge.
          2. An authority or source of power; something which controls.
          3. The main, important or foundational part of something.
          4. The upper or topmost portion of something.
          5. (heraldry) The heraldic chief.
          Descendants
          • English: chief (see there for further descendants)
          • Scots: chief
          References

          Adjective

          chef (plural and weak singular cheve, comparative chever, superlative chevest)

          1. Chief, head, top-ranking, executive; being in ultimate control.
          2. Principal, foremost, predominant, primary; having the greatest importance.
          3. High-quality, outstanding, notable, worthy; deserving recognition.
          4. (rare) Infamous; grave.
          Derived terms
          Descendants
          References

          Adverb

          chef

          1. (rare) Principally, (the) most.
          References

          Etymology 2

          Noun

          chef

          1. (AB language, Ayenbite; Early Middle English, Worcestershire) alternative form of chaf

          Etymology 3

          Noun

          chef

          1. (Lincolnshire) alternative form of schef

          Norman

          Etymology

          From Old French chief, chef, from Vulgar Latin capus, from Latin caput (“head”), from Proto-Indo-European *kauput-, *kaput-.

          Noun

          chef m (plural chefs)

          1. (Jersey) chief

          Derived terms

          Old French

          Noun

          chef oblique singular, m (oblique plural ches, nominative singular ches, nominative plural chef)

          1. alternative form of chief

          Portuguese

          Etymology

          Etymology tree
          substratebor.?
          Proto-Indo-European *kap-?
          Proto-Indo-European *kap-
          Proto-Indo-European *káput
          Proto-Italic *kaput
          Latin caput
          Vulgar Latin capus
          Old French chief
          Middle French chief
          French chefubor.
          Portuguese chef

            Unadapted borrowing from French chef.

            Pronunciation

            • (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈʃɛ.fi/, /ˈʃɛf/
             

            Noun

            chef m or f by sense (plural chefs)

            1. alternative form of chefe (the head cook of an establishment such as a restaurant)

            Further reading

            Romanian

            Etymology

            Etymology tree
            Arabic كَيْف (kayf)bor.
            Ottoman Turkish كیف (keyf)bor.
            Romanian chef

              Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish كیف (keyf), borrowed from Arabic كَيْف (kayf, “condition, state, mood”). Compare Turkish keyif.

              Noun

              chef n (plural chefuri)

              1. (good) disposition, mood
                a nu avea chef de ceva ― to not feel like/be in the mood for something
              2. desire, wish
              3. (figuratively) appetite
              4. whim, caprice
              5. shindig, blowout,
              6. revelry, binge; by extension, drunkenness

              Declension

              singular plural
              indefinite definite indefinite definite
              nominative-accusative chef cheful chefuri chefurile
              genitive-dative chef chefului chefuri chefurilor
              vocative chefule chefurilor

              See also

              Spanish

              Etymology

              Etymology tree
              substratebor.?
              Proto-Indo-European *kap-?
              Proto-Indo-European *kap-
              Proto-Indo-European *káput
              Proto-Italic *kaput
              Latin caput
              Vulgar Latin capus
              Old French chief
              Middle French chief
              French chefubor.
              Spanish chef

                Unadapted borrowing from French chef. Doublet of jefe and cabo.

                Pronunciation

                • IPA(key): /ˈt͡ʃef/ [ˈt͡ʃef]
                  • Syllabification: chef
                • IPA(key): /ˈʃef/ [ˈʃef]
                • Rhymes: -ef

                Noun

                chef m or f by sense (plural chefs)

                1. chef, head cook

                Usage notes

                • According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

                Further reading

                Swedish

                Etymology

                Unadapted borrowing from French chef.

                Pronunciation

                • IPA(key): /ɧeːf/, /ɧɛːf/

                Noun

                chef c

                1. A boss, manager; person in charge, person who directly oversees the work being done

                Usage notes

                False friend with chef, see kock.

                Declension

                Declension of chef
                nominative genitive
                singular indefinite chef chefs
                definite chefen chefens
                plural indefinite chefer chefers
                definite cheferna chefernas

                Derived terms

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