serjeant

[ sahr-juh nt ]

/ ˈsɑr dʒənt /

noun Chiefly British.

sergeant.

Nearby words

Definition for serjeant (2 of 2)

sergeant

[ sahr-juh nt ]

/ ˈsɑr dʒənt /

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

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

Examples from the Web for serjeant

The great question now was whether they could approach the widow and her daughter otherwise than through Serjeant Bluestone.
Lady Anna|Anthony Trollope
Tom said it was a double-shame, and threw a host of hard words upon Mr. Serjeant Stillingfar.
The Story of Charles Strange Vol. 1 (of 3)|Mrs. Henry Wood
The office of marshal in the high court is represented in this court by a serjeant, who also bears a silver oar.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 4|Various
Serjeant Hoskins:—Serviens ad legem; quaere, if a knight.
Brief Lives (Vol. 1 of 2)|John Aubrey

The Serjeant lived in Russell Square, in one of its handsomest houses.
The Story of Charles Strange Vol. 1 (of 3)|Mrs. Henry Wood

British Dictionary definitions for serjeant (1 of 2)

serjeant

/ (ˈsɑːdʒənt) /

noun

a variant spelling of sergeant

British Dictionary definitions for serjeant (2 of 2)

sergeant

/ (ˈsɑːdʒənt) /

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

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 serjeant

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.