adjutant

[ aj-uh-tuh nt ]

/ ˈædʒ ə tənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR adjutant ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Military. a staff officer who assists the commanding officer in issuing orders.

British Military. an executive officer.

an assistant.

adjutant stork.

RELATED WORDS

auxiliary, helper, aide

Nearby words

Origin of adjutant

1590–1600; < Latin adjūtant- (stem of adjūtāns, present participle of adjūtāre to help, assist), equivalent to ad- ad- + jū- (variant stem of juvāre to help) + -t- frequentative suffix + -ant- -ant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for adjutant

I begged of the adjutant to let me go off along the ridge on my own to see if I could find any trace.
At Suvla Bay|John Hargrave
"It is here," said the Adjutant, squinting over his beak at his full pouch.
The Second Jungle Book|Rudyard Kipling
Having parted from this pretty specimen of my new regiment, I inquired for the adjutant's quarters, which were pointed out to me.
Memoirs of the Extraordinary Military Career of John Shipp|John Shipp
"I will see what can be done," said the adjutant, touched by the despair depicted on the pale face of the poor lady.
Louisa Of Prussia and Her Times|Louise Muhlbach

In a neighboring hut lay Raevski's adjutant with a fractured wrist.
War and Peace|Leo Tolstoy

British Dictionary definitions for adjutant

adjutant

/ (ˈædʒətənt) /

noun

an officer who acts as administrative assistant to a superior officerAbbreviation: adjt, adj

short for adjutant bird

Derived Formsadjutancy, noun

Word Origin for adjutant

C17: from Latin adjūtāre to aid

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for adjutant

adjutant

"military officer who assists superior officers," c.1600, from Latin adiutantem (nominative adiutans), present participle of adiutare "to give help to, help zealously, serve," frequentative of adiuvare (past participle adiutus) "help, assist, aid, support," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + iuvare "to help, give strength, support," perhaps from same root as iuvenis "young person" (see young).