aid-de-camp

[eyd-duh-kamp]

noun, plural aids-de-camp.

aide-de-camp

or aid-de-camp

[eyd-duh-kamp]

noun, plural aides-de-camp.

a subordinate military or naval officer acting as a confidential assistant to a superior, usually to a general officer or admiral.

Origin of aide-de-camp

1660–70; < French: literally, camp helper; see aid, de, camp¹

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

Examples from the Web for aid-de-camp

Historical Examples of aid-de-camp

A ball directed at me has killed the horse of my aid-de-camp by my side.
Louis Philippe
John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott
"Place him in a chair, then," said the aid-de-camp, for such he was.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 3, July, 1851
Various
I remember exactly how he looked; he had his aid-de-camp with him.
The White Rose of Memphis
William C. Falkner
Early in May Washington was made an aid-de-camp to the general.
History of the Colony and Ancient Dominion of Virginia
Charles Campbell
During this silence, the aid-de-camp stood in expectation of orders.
The Spy
J. Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for aid-de-camp

aide-de-camp

aid-de-camp

noun plural aides-de-camp or aids-de-camp

a military officer serving as personal assistant to a seniorAbbreviation: ADC

Word Origin for aide-de-camp

C17: from French: camp assistant

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