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Red admiral

 - 3 dictionary results

red admiral

 
Use Red admiral in a Sentence
–noun
See under admiral (def. 6).
Origin:
1830–40

ad⋅mi⋅ral

  [ad-mer-uhl]
–noun
1. the commander in chief of a fleet.
2. a naval officer of the highest rank.
3. a naval officer of a high rank: the grades in the U.S. Navy are fleet admiral, admiral, vice-admiral, and rear admiral.
4. Obsolete. the flagship of an admiral.
5. British. a master who directs a fishing fleet.
6. any of several often brightly colored butterflies of the family Nymphalidae, as Vanessa atalanta (red admiral).
Origin:
1175–1225; ME, var. of amiral < OF < Ar amīr al commander of the; -d- < ML admīrābilis mundī for Ar amīr al-mu'minīn commander of the faithful; or with replacement of a- 5 by ad-, as in administer

Related forms:
ad⋅mi⋅ral⋅ship, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

admiral 
c.1205, from Arabic title amir-ar-rahl "chief of the transport," officer in the Mediterranean fleet, from amir "leader," influenced by L. ad-mirabilis (see admire). Admiralty "naval branch of English executive" first recorded 1459.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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