A shortened or variant form referring to the leader or chief of a group, particularly in ancient Greek contexts.
From Greek koryphē meaning 'head' or 'summit,' related to the peak of a mountain. This root is shared with coryphaeus and coryphée, all denoting a principal or leader.
The Greek word for 'head' gave us this word that literally means someone at the top—whether of a mountain or a chorus! It's fascinating how physical metaphors for leadership (head, top, chief) appear across almost every language.
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