sergeant

[sahr-juh nt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sergeant ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a noncommissioned army officer of a rank above that of corporal.

U.S. Air Force. any noncommissioned officer above the rank of airman first class.

a police officer ranking immediately below a captain or a lieutenant in the U.S. and immediately below an inspector in Britain.

a title of a particular office or function at the court of a monarch (often used in combination): sergeant of the larder; sergeant-caterer.

sergeant at arms.

Also called sergeant at law. British. (formerly) a member of a superior order of barristers.

sergeantfish.

(initial capital letter) a surface-to-surface, single-stage, U.S. ballistic missile.

a tenant by military service, below the rank of knight.

Also especially British, ser·jeant (for defs 1–7, 9).

Origin of sergeant

1150–1200; Middle English sergant, serjant, serjaunt < Old French sergent < Latin servient- (stem of serviēns), present participle of servīre. See serve, -ent

Related formsser·gean·cy

[sahr-juh n-see] /ˈsɑr dʒən si/, ser·geant·ship, noun

York

[yawrk]

noun

a member of the royal house of England that ruled from 1461 to 1485.

1st Duke ofEdmund of Langley, 1341–1402, progenitor of the house of York (son of Edward III).

Alvin Cul·lum

[kuhl-uh m] /ˈkʌl əm/Sergeant, 1887–1964, U.S. soldier.

Yorkshire(def 1).

Ancient Eboracum. a city in North Yorkshire, in NE England, on the Ouse: the capital of Roman Britain; cathedral.

a city in SE Pennsylvania: meeting of the Continental Congress 1777–78.

an estuary in E Virginia, flowing SE into Chesapeake Bay. 40 miles (64 km) long.

Cape, a cape at the NE extremity of Australia.

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

Related Words for sergeant

detective, captain, police, deputy, sleuth, reporter, agent, spy, informer, prosecutor, enforcer, cop, sheriff, badge, arm, flatfoot, noncom, centurion, fink, eye

Examples from the Web for sergeant

Contemporary Examples of sergeant

“Stay in formation,” a sergeant from the ceremonial unit said over a public address system to the cops along the street.
Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss
Michael Daly
January 5, 2015
A squad soon arrived to take him away, and I saw the sergeant punch him in the face even though he went quietly.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison
Daniel Genis
December 8, 2014
One sergeant is quoted saying that Garner “did not appear to be in great distress.”
The Gentle Giant Cut Down by Cops
Michael Daly
July 24, 2014
The contemporary Luz James, a military brat, lives with her sergeant mother.
This Week’s Hot Reads: July 7, 2014
Samantha Levine
July 8, 2014
A sergeant from the Directorate General of Prisons, Mina Olmedo, was shot and killed, and eleven other guards were badly injured.
Pablo Escobar’s Private Prison Is Now Run by Monks for Senior Citizens
Jeff Campagna
June 7, 2014

Historical Examples of sergeant

Sergeant Wilde was met on his entry into the town by almost the whole population.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
We would do anything in our power for Sergeant Wilde and for the cause, but we cannot starve!'
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
Then he turned to the sergeant, who was smoking philosophically.
The Raid From Beausejour; And How The Carter Boys Lifted The Mortgage
Charles G. D. Roberts
"We're beaten, it seems, already," he cried to the sergeant.
The Raid From Beausejour; And How The Carter Boys Lifted The Mortgage
Charles G. D. Roberts
He asked for a corporal or a sergeant who could write and stand fire at the same time.
The Boy Life of Napoleon
Eugenie Foa

British Dictionary definitions for sergeant

sergeant

noun

a noncommissioned officer in certain armed forces, usually ranking above a corporal

(in Britain) a police officer ranking between constable and inspector
(in the US) a police officer ranking below a captain

See sergeant at arms

a court or municipal officer who has ceremonial duties

(formerly) a tenant by military service, not of knightly rank

See serjeant at law

Also: serjeant

Derived Formssergeancy (ˈsɑːdʒənsɪ) or sergeantship, noun

Word Origin for sergeant

C12: from Old French sergent, from Latin serviēns, literally: serving, from servīre to serve

york

verb

(tr) cricket to bowl or try to bowl (a batsman) by pitching the ball under or just beyond the bat

Word Origin for york

C19: back formation from yorker

York

noun

a historic city in NE England, in York unitary authority, North Yorkshire, on the River Ouse: the military capital of Roman Britain; capital of the N archiepiscopal province of Britain since 625, with a cathedral (the Minster) begun in 1154; noted for its cycle of medieval mystery plays; unusually intact medieval walls; university (1963). Pop: 137 505 (2001)Latin name: Eboracum

a unitary authority in NE England, in North Yorkshire. Pop: 183 100 (2003 est). Area: 272 sq km (105 sq miles)

Cape York a cape in NE Australia, in Queensland at the N tip of the Cape York Peninsula, extending into the Torres Strait: the northernmost point of Australia

York

noun

the English royal house that reigned from 1461 to 1485 and was descended from Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York (1411–60), whose claim to the throne precipitated the Wars of the Roses. His sons reigned as Edward IV and Richard III

Alvin C (ullum). 1887–1964, US soldier and hero of World War I

Duke of, full name Prince Frederick Augustus, Duke of York and Albany . 1763–1827, second son of George III of Great Britain and Ireland. An undistinguished commander-in-chief of the British army (1798–1809), he is the "grand old Duke of York" of the nursery rhyme

Prince Andrew, Duke of. born 1960, second son of Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He married (1986) Miss Sarah Ferguson; they divorced in 1996; their first daughter, Princess Beatrice of York, was born in 1988 and their second, Princess Eugenie of York, in 1990

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 sergeant

c.1200, "servant," from Old French sergent, serjant "(domestic) servant, valet; court official; soldier," from Medieval Latin servientum (nominative serviens) "servant, vassal, soldier" (in Late Latin "public official"), from Latin servientem "serving," present participle of servire "to serve" (see serve (v.)); cognate with Spanish sirviente, Italian servente; a twin of servant, and 16c. writers sometimes use the two words interchangeably.

Specific sense of "military servant" is attested from late 13c.; that of "officer whose duty is to enforce judgments of a tribunal or legislative body" is from c.1300 (sergeant at arms is attested from late 14c.). Meaning "non-commissioned military officer" first recorded 1540s. Originally a much more important rank than presently. As a police rank, in Great Britain from 1839.

Middle English alternative spelling serjeant (from Old French) was retained in Britain in special use as title of a superior order of barristers (c.1300, from legal Latin serviens ad legem, "one who serves (the king) in matters of law"), from which Common Law judges were chosen; also used of certain other officers of the royal household. sergeant-major is from 1570s. The sergeant-fish (1871) so-called for lateral markings resembling a sergeant's stripes. Related: Sergeancy.

York

city in northern England, Old English Eoforwic, earlier Eborakon (c.150), an ancient Celtic name, probably meaning "Yew-Tree Estate," but Eburos may also be a personal name. Yorkshire pudding is recorded from 1747; Yorkshire terrier first attested 1872; short form Yorkie is from 1950.