Qaid

Qaid (Arabic:قائد‎ qāʾid, "commander"; pl. quwwād), also spelled kaid or caïd, is a word meaning "master" or "leader." It was a title in the Norman kingdom of Sicily, applied to palatine officials and members of the curia, usually to those who were Muslims or converts from Islam. The word entered the Latin language as Latin: gaitus or Latin:gaytus. Later the word was used in North Africa for the governor of a fortress or the warden of a prison, also in Spain and Portugal in the form with the definite article 'alcayde (Spanish) "alcaide" (Portuguese). It is also used as a male Muslim given name. It furthermore is a designation for leaders of bands of gangsters.