chieftess. Noun. (plural chieftesses) A female form of the word chief or chieftain, meaning the leader of a tribe or clan.Click to see full answer. Similarly, you may ask, what do you call a female chieftain?chieftess (plural chieftesses) A female chief or chieftain; the female leader of a tribe or clan.Likewise, what is a chieftainess? Noun. chieftainess (plural chieftainesses) In tribal societies, a female chieftain or the wife of a chieftain. Correspondingly, what does Chiefest mean? Chiefest(adj) first or foremost; chief; principal.What is a tribal leader called?From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. A traditional tribal chief is the leader of a tribe, or the head of a tribal form of government. A tribal chief is also called a Chieftain.