Dated term for a leader or head of a group. In modern Japanese, リーダー or 長 (ちょう) as a suffix are more common.
the greatest (of all the ...)
Dated usage meaning the foremost or greatest among a group. Often seen in classical or historical contexts.
He became the head of the village.
He was respected as the head of the village.
He was a swordsman said to be the greatest of his time.
She serves as the head of the clan.
As the head of the town, he brought the residents together.
長 (ちょう) is a productive suffix attached to titles like 班長 or 社長, whereas 長 (おさ) is a standalone, old-fashioned noun for 'chief' or 'leader'.
master of the rice field; chief farmer · lesser cuckoo
village chief
leatherback turtle
prison warden
Japanese mud crab
Standard kanji spelling for this dated noun.
The reading おさ is native Japanese, while the kanji 長 is used for its meaning 'long' or 'leader'. The exact derivation is uncertain, but it has been used historically to denote a person in charge.