nounnoun

der Chef, -s

boss

Diese Person leitet eine Gruppe von Mitarbeitern in einer Firma oder einem Restaurant und trifft wichtige Entscheidungen.

Definition & meaning

In German, the word Chef refers to a person who holds a leading position in an organization, company, or department. It translates to English as "boss," "head," "manager," or "supervisor."

It is important to note that Chef is a "false friend" for English speakers. While the English word "chef" refers specifically to a professional cook, the German word for a professional cook is Koch. In German, a Chef is anyone who has authority over employees, regardless of the industry.

There is also a colloquial use where people might address a friend or an acquaintance as "Chef," similar to saying "boss" or "chief" in English, though this is informal.

Grammar & Word origin

The word is a noun. Its gender is masculine (der Chef), and the feminine form is die Chefin. The plural form for the masculine is die Chefs, and for the feminine, it is die Chefinnen.

The word originated from the Old French word chef, meaning "leader," "head," or "ruler." This, in turn, comes from the Latin word caput, which means "head." It entered the German language in the 17th century, initially used in military contexts before becoming a general term for a superior in any workplace.