second lieutenant

noun

, U.S. Military.

1. an Army, Air Force, or Marine officer of the lowest commissioned rank. Compare ensign ( def 4 ).

second lieutenant

noun

1. an officer holding the lowest commissioned rank in the armed forces of certain nations

Word History and Origins

Origin of second lieutenant¹

First recorded in 1695–1705

Example Sentences

There is also a second-lieutenant attached to my company, a Saint-Maixentian, young and solid, and something of a dandy.

From Project Gutenberg

I supposed the army accountability system would bow to a second-lieutenant who had been under fire.

From Project Gutenberg

I chanced to notice a young and rosy-cheeked second-lieutenant, innocent of the ways of this rude world, and I knew he was doomed.

From Project Gutenberg

"But he isn't stopping for us," chimed in the second-lieutenant, and his dictum was emphasized by his slight lisp.

From Project Gutenberg

Second-Lieutenant Wood and his platoon are erecting a wire entanglement.

From Project Gutenberg