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Captain vs Mister - What's the difference?

captain | mister |

In transitive terms the difference between captain and mister

is that captain is to exercise command of a ship, aircraft or sports team while mister is to address by the title of "mister".

As nouns the difference between captain and mister

is that captain is a chief or leader while mister is title conferred on an adult male, usually when the name is unknown. Also (often parent to young child) referring to a man whose name is unknown.

As verbs the difference between captain and mister

is that captain is to act as captain while mister is to address by the title of "mister".

captain

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A chief or leader.
  • *1526 , The (Bible) , tr. (William Tyndale), (w) 2:
  • *:For out of the shal come a captaine , whych shall govern my people israhel.
  • *1929 , (Rudyard Kipling), " The English Way":
  • *:Stand up-stand up, Northumberland! / I bid you answer true, / If England's King has under his hand / A Captain as good as you?
  • The person lawfully in command of a ship or other vessel.
  • :
  • An army officer with a rank between the most senior grade of lieutenant and major.
  • *
  • *:"A fine man, that Dunwody, yonder," commented the young captain , as they parted, and as he turned to his prisoner. "We'll see him on in Washington some day. He is strengthening his forces now against Mr. Benton out there.."
  • A naval officer with a rank between commander and commodore.
  • A commissioned officer in the United States Navy, Coast Guard]], NOAA Corps, or PHS Corps of a grade superior to a commander and junior to a . A captain is equal in grade or rank to an Army, Marine Corps, or [[United States Air Force, Air Force colonel.
  • (senseid)One of the athletes on a sports team who designated to make decisions, and is allowed to speak for his team with a referee or official.
  • *(Remember the Titans)
  • *:Captain's supposed to be the leader, right?
  • *{{quote-news, year=2012, date=May 5, author=Phil McNulty, work=BBC Sport
  • , title= Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool , passage=As Di Matteo celebrated and captain John Terry raised the trophy for the fourth time, the Italian increased his claims to become the permanent successor to Andre Villas-Boas by landing a trophy.}}
  • The leader of a group of workers.
  • :
  • A .
  • *1977 , Don Felder, Don Henley and Glenn Frey, lyricists, ,
  • *:So I called up the Captain , "Please bring me my wine." / He said: "We haven't had that spirit here since 1969."
  • (lb) An honorific title given to a prominent person. See colonel .
  • Synonyms

    * (leader of a group of workers) supervisor, straw boss, foreman * (commander of a vessel) skipper, master * (pilot in command) pilot, pilot in command * (military rank) CAPT, , Capt, CPT (abbreviation)

    Derived terms

    * bell captain * captain of the fleet * captain of industry * corvette captain * cruiser captain * flag captain * fleet captain * flotilla captain * frigate captain * senior captain

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To act as captain
  • To exercise command of a ship, aircraft or sports team.
  • mister

    English

    Etymology 1

    Unaccented variant of

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Title conferred on an adult male, usually when the name is unknown. Also (often parent to young child) referring to a man whose name is unknown.
  • You may sit here, mister .
    Go and ask that mister if you can get your ball out of his garden.
  • * 1855 , George Musalas Colvocoresses, Four Years in the Government Exploring Expedition , J. M. Fairchild & co., page 358:
  • Fine day to see sights, gentlemen. Well, misters , here's the railing round the ground, and there's the paling round the tomb, eight feet deep, six feet long, and three feet wide.
  • * 1908 , Jack Brand, By Wild Waves Tossed: An Ocean Love Story , The McClure Company, page 90:
  • There's only three misters aboard this ship, or, rather, there's only two.
    Coordinate terms
    * (title of adult male) master, mistress, , Doctor

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To address by the title of "mister".
  • Etymology 2

    From (etyl) mester, (meister) (et al.), from (etyl) misterium, a medieval conflation of (etyl) .David Wallace, Chaucerian polity: absolutist lineages and associational forms in England and Italy , Stanford University Press, 1997

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) Someone's business or function; an occupation, employment, trade.
  • A kind, type of.
  • * 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , I.ix:
  • The Redcrosse knight toward him crossed fast, / To weet, what mister wight was so dismayd.
  • (obsolete) Need (of something).
  • * :
  • And thenne the grene knyghte kneled doune / and dyd hym homage with his swerd / thenne said the damoisel me repenteth grene knyghte of your dommage / and of youre broders dethe the black knyghte / for of your helpe I had grete myster / For I drede me sore to passe this forest / Nay drede you not sayd the grene knyghte / for ye shal lodge with me this nyghte / and to morne I shalle helpe you thorou this forest
  • (obsolete) Necessity; the necessary time.
  • * :
  • It was by Merlyns auyse said the knyghte / As for hym sayd kynge Carados / I wylle encountre with kynge bors / and ye wil rescowe me whan myster is / go on said they al / we wil do all that we may

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete, impersonal) To be necessary; to matter.
  • * 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , III.vii:
  • As for my name, it mistreth not to tell; / Call me the Squyre of Dames that me beseemeth well.

    Etymology 3

    .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A device that makes or sprays mist.
  • Odessa D. uses a mister Sunday to fight the 106-degree heat at a NASCAR race in Fontana, California.
    Derived terms
    * demister

    References

    Anagrams

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