admiral

noun

ad·​mi·​ral ˈad-m(ə-)rəl 

1

archaic : the commander in chief of a navy

2

a

: flag officer

b

: a commissioned officer in the navy or coast guard who ranks above a vice admiral and whose insignia is four stars compare general

3

archaic : flagship

4

: any of several brightly colored nymphalid butterflies compare red admiral

Did you know?

It is a curiosity of history that the word admiral has its source in Arabic, the language of a desert people who acquired their seafaring skills after the great expansion of Islam in the seventh century. As the name for a Muslim chieftain, the Arabic word amir appears as a loanword in medieval Latin documents in spellings such as amiratus, admirandus, and admirallus. These words display a variety of suffixes and an added d, through confusion with the Latin verb admirari, “to admire.” The ending -allus is probably from the Arabic article al, which actually belongs to the following word in phrases such as amir al-‘ali, “supreme commander.” The application of admirallus to a commander of a fleet originated in 12th-century Sicily, was adopted by the Genoese, and then spread to countries throughout western Europe, including France and England.

Examples of admiral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

During a similar confrontation on March 5, Chinese coast guard ships blasted the Unaizah May 4 with a high-pressure water cannon, shattering its windshield and slightly injuring a Filipino admiral and four of his men. —Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 23 Mar. 2024

At the time of the report, Jackson was classified by the Navy as a rear admiral (lower half), a one-star admiral that is distinct from the two-star rear admiral position. —Alex Horton, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024

In a 2006 earnings call, Daniel Murphy Jr., a retired admiral who was ATK’s chief executive, explained that softening military demand would leave Lake City with excess capacity for the company to fill. —Ben Dooley Emily Rhyne, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2023

The baby’s mother was Catherine Gordon, a Scottish heiress, and his father was Captain John Byron, commonly referred to as Mad Jack (not to be confused with his father, an admiral known as Foulweather Jack), a spendthrift who did his best to burn through his wife’s inheritance. —Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024

He was promoted to admiral in 1980 and ended his military career two years later as the navy’s inspector general. —Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024

Stavridis, the retired admiral, said the key to avoiding friendly fire is ensuring communication among different units — infantry, tanks, artillery aircraft — operating with Gaza’s narrow confines. —Raf Sanchez, NBC News, 25 Jan. 2024

December 6, 2023 Just hours after Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R) of Alabama agreed to lift his months-long hold on U.S. military promotions for admirals and generals Tuesday, the Senate confirmed more than 400 of them by voice vote. —Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Dec. 2023

The sailors are renowned for their hunting abilities, though their status is threatened by their society's admiral, who wishes to replace them. —Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English admirail, admiral, amiral "emir, Saracen chieftain, naval commander," borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin admiralis, admirallus, amiralius, borrowed from Arabic amīr-al- "commander of the," in such phrases as amīr-al-baḥr "commander of the sea" (initial adm- for am- probably by association with Latin admīrārī "to admire")

Note: From the 9th century, the Arabic word amīr, "commander," appears in Medieval Latin documents with a variety of suffixal formations, as amiratus, admirandus, and admirallus; the ending -allus in the latter form has usually been construed as the Arabic definite article al, which belongs to the following word in collocations such as amīr al-'alī, "supreme commander." The more specific application of admirallus to the commander of a fleet originated in 12th-century Norman-ruled Sicily.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing admiral

• admiral of the fleet
• fleet admiral
• rear admiral
• red admiral
• vice admiral

Kids Definition

admiral

noun

ad·​mi·​ral ˈad-mə-rəl 

-mrəl

1

: a naval commissioned officer with a rank above that of captain

especially : an officer with a rank just above that of vice admiral

2

: any of several brightly colored butterflies

Etymology

Middle English admiral "naval commander," from early French amiral "commander" and Latin admirallus "naval commander," from Arabic amīr-al- "commander of the" (as in amīr al-'alī "supreme commander")

Word Origin

It is a curiosity of history that admiral, a word meaning "naval commander," ultimately has its source in Arabic, the language of a desert people who acquired their seafaring skills largely from the Mediterranean peoples they dominated after the great expansion of Islam in the 7th century a.d. As the name for a Muslim chieftain, the Arabic word amīr appears as a loanword in the 9th century in Medieval Latin documents, in spellings such as amiratus, admirandus, and admirallus. These words display a variety of suffixes and an extra d, through confusion with the Latin verb admirari, "to admire." The ending -allus is probably from the Arabic definite article al, which actually belongs to the following word in phrases such as amīr al-'alī, "supreme commander." The specific application of admirallus to a commander of a fleet originated in 12th century Sicily. The usage was acquired by the Genoese and then spread to the rest of western Europe, including France and England.