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Why is it “Commander in Chief” and Not “Commander and Chief”?

Paul in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, has long been mystified by the title commander in chief. Why, he wonders, isn’t it commander and chief? The title commander in chief is a vestige of French military titles, specifically the construction en chef, which denotes the top officer of a group of similar officers. The same construction appears in the title editor in chief, which is the top editor of a group of similar editors. The French term, in turn, goes back to Latin caput, or “head,” and is a relative of capital. This is part of a complete episode.

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1 comment
  • Apparently this came up in an old episode but my NPR station just broadcast it.

    It’s interesting — you analyze this query with etymology, whereas my mind first goes to history or constitutional law. Commander-in-chief is the term used in the Constitution. That’s why we are accustomed to hearing C-I-C and not Commander-and-chief.

    Similarly, the claim that use of the word “surprise” is never negative immediately prompted a counter-example: the Japanese “surprise attack” on Pearl Harbor. But the hosts’ reference to a big data corpora of American English usage was a revelation. Ihad never heard of that.

    I enjoy the show.

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