Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

lieutenant

[loo-ten-uhnt; in Brit. use, except in the navy, lef-ten-uhnt]

Example Sentences Origin

noun

Military.

first lieutenant.

second lieutenant.

U.S. Navy. a commissioned officer ranking between lieutenant junior grade and lieutenant commander.

a person who holds an office, civil or military, in subordination to a superior for whom he or she acts: If he can't attend, he will send his lieutenant.

Origin:
1325–75; Middle English < Middle French, noun use of adj. phrase lieu tenant place-holding. See locum tenens, lieu, tenant

Related forms

un·der·lieu·ten·ant, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To lieutenant

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Lieutenant is always a great word to know.

So is gobo. Does it mean:

a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.

a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Example Sentences

Kardash was a lieutenant in a unique labor battle that gripped the state earlier this month.

The reply came immediately in the form of an army lieutenant and three soldiers.

Trim and dark-eyed, the lieutenant colonel knows his tech.

EXPAND

Collins

World English Dictionary

lieutenant (lɛfˈtɛnənt, US luːˈtɛnənt)

—n
1.	a military officer holding commissioned rank immediately junior to a captain
2.	a naval officer holding commissioned rank immediately junior to a lieutenant commander
3.	(US) an officer in a police or fire department ranking immediately junior to a captain
4.	a person who holds an office in subordination to or in place of a superior

[C14: from Old French, literally: place-holding]

lieu'tenancy

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

lieutenant

late 14c., "one who takes the place of another," from O.Fr. lieu tenant "substitute," lit. "placeholder," from lieu "place" + tenant, prp. of tenir "to hold." The notion is of a "substitute" for higher authority. Specific military sense of "officer next in rank to a captain" is from 1570s. Pronunciation

EXPAND

with lef- is common in Britain, and spellings to reflect it date back to 14c., but the origin of it is mysterious.

COLLAPSE

Easton

Bible Dictionary

Lieutenant definition

(only in A.V. Esther 3:12; 8:9; 9:3; Ezra 8:36), a governor or viceroy of a Persian province having both military and civil power. Correctly rendered in the Revised Version "satrap."

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Cite This Source

Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia

lieutenant

company grade officer, the lowest rank of commissioned officer in most armies of the world. The lieutenant normally commands a small tactical unit such as a platoon.

Learn more about lieutenant with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help