lieutenant
[ loo-ten-uhnt; in British use, except in the navy, lef-ten-uhnt ]
/ luˈtɛn ənt; in British use, except in the navy, lɛfˈtɛn ənt /
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noun
Military.
U.S. Navy. a commissioned officer ranking between lieutenant junior grade and lieutenant commander.
a person who holds an office, civil or military, in subordination to a superior for whom he or she acts: If he can't attend, he will send his lieutenant.
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Origin of lieutenant
1325–75; Middle English <Middle French, noun use of adj. phrase lieu tenant place-holding. See locum tenens, lieu, tenant
OTHER WORDS FROM lieutenant
un·der·lieu·ten·ant, nounWords nearby lieutenant
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use lieutenant in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for lieutenant
lieutenant
/ (lɛfˈtɛnənt, US luːˈtɛnənt) /
noun
a military officer holding commissioned rank immediately junior to a captain
a naval officer holding commissioned rank immediately junior to a lieutenant commander
US an officer in a police or fire department ranking immediately junior to a captain
a person who holds an office in subordination to or in place of a superior
Derived forms of lieutenant
lieutenancy, nounWord Origin for lieutenant
C14: from Old French, literally: place-holding
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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