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sergeancy

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ser⋅geant

  [sahr-juhnt]
Use sergeancy in a Sentence
–noun
1. a noncommissioned army officer of a rank above that of corporal.
2. U.S. Air Force. any noncommissioned officer above the rank of airman first class.
3. a police officer ranking immediately below a captain or a lieutenant in the U.S. and immediately below an inspector in Britain.
4. a title of a particular office or function at the court of a monarch (often used in combination): sergeant of the larder; sergeant-caterer.
5. sergeant at arms.
6. Also called sergeant at law. British. (formerly) a member of a superior order of barristers.
7. sergeantfish.
8. (initial capital letter) a surface-to-surface, single-stage, U.S. ballistic missile.
9. a tenant by military service, below the rank of knight.
Also, especially British, serjeant (for defs. 1–7, 9).

Origin:
1150–1200; ME sergant, serjant, serjaunt < OF sergent < L servient- (s. of serviēns), prp. of servīre. See serve, -ent

Related forms:
ser⋅gean⋅cy  [sahr-juhn-see] , ser⋅geant⋅ship, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ser·geant   (sär'jənt)   
n.  

    1. Abbr. SGT or Sgt or Sgt. A noncommissioned rank in the U.S. Army or Marine Corps that is above corporal and below staff sergeant.

    2. Any of several ranks of noncommissioned officers in the U.S. Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps: master gunnery sergeant; staff sergeant.

    3. One who holds any of these ranks.

    4. Abbr. Sgt. The rank of police officer next below a captain, lieutenant, or inspector.

    5. A police officer holding this rank.

    1. Abbr. Sgt. The rank of police officer next below a captain, lieutenant, or inspector.

    2. A police officer holding this rank.

  3. A sergeant at arms.


[Middle English sergeaunte, a common soldier, from Old French sergent, from Medieval Latin serviēns, servient-, servant, soldier, from Late Latin, public official, from Latin, present participle of servīre, to serve, from servus, slave.]
ser'gean·cy, ser'geant·ship' n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

sergeant 
c.1200, "servant," from O.Fr. sergent, from M.L. servientum (nom. serviens) "servant, vassal, soldier" (in L.L. "public official"), from L. servientem "serving," prp. of servire "to serve" (see serve); cognate with Sp. sirviente, It. servente. Specific sense of "military servant" is attested from c.1290; that of "officer whose duty is to enforce judgments of a tribunal or legislative body" is from c.1300 (sergeant at arms is attested from 1377). Meaning "non-commissioned military officer" first recorded 1548. Originally a much more important rank than presently. As a police rank, in Great Britain from 1839. Colloquial shortening sarge is attested from 1867. M.E. alternate spelling serjeant (from O.Fr.) was retained in Britain in special use as title of a superior order of barristers (1297, from legal L. serviens ad legem, "one who serves (the king) in matters of law"), abolished 1880, from which Common Law judges were chosen; also used of certain other officers of the royal household. sergeant-major is from 1573.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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