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lance corporal

noun

U.S. Marine Corps. an enlisted person ranking between private first class and corporal.
British Military.
  1. a corporal of the lowest rank.
  2. (formerly) a private acting as corporal without increased pay.

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Origin of lance corporal

1780–90; lance, shortened form of earlier lancepesade<Middle French lancepessade lowest ranking grade of noncommissioned officer <Italian lancia spezzata superior soldier, literally, broken lance1 (from having shivered many lances, i.e., fought well in many battles)

Words nearby lance corporal

Lancashire heeler, Lancaster, Lancaster Sound, Lancastrian, lance, lance corporal, Lancefield classification, lancejack, lancelet, Lancelot, Lancelot, Sir
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for lance corporal

British Dictionary definitions for lance corporal

lance corporal

noun

a noncommissioned officer of the lowest rank in the British Army
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