why is "commander in chief" structured like that?
why is "commander in chief" structured like that?
Why not Chief in command or Commander of chiefs or similar?
The sentence basically means Commander in biggest or Commander in most important. It's a strange structure.
Commander in Chief actually goes back to the English Civil War (where Charles Howard was commissioned as lieutenant-general and commander-in-chief); and 'in chief' goes back to earlier french, basically denoting a feudal landholding that was given directly by the king.
Keep in mind that a Commander in Chief- while frequently the head of state; historically wasn't always so. Colonial or Regional Governors were given command of military forces in their areas of authority- that is to say, commissioned as commanders with sole authority over all forces directly by the king. that is to say, they were commissioned as commanders in chief.