The captain or master of a ship, boat, or aircraft. Also refers to the captain of a sports team or any leader of a group.
From Middle Dutch schipper, from schip meaning 'ship.' The word literally means 'ship-er' or 'one who manages a ship.' It entered English in the 14th century and gradually extended beyond maritime contexts to mean any kind of leader or captain.
The casual, friendly sound of 'skipper' belies its serious maritime origins—this person held life-and-death authority over everyone aboard. Interestingly, the word has become so associated with leadership that it's used for everything from sports team captains to the leader of a group project, showing how nautical terminology permeates our language.
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