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

Pentagon purge: Hegseth plans to cut 20% of senior generals and admirals. —Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 7 May 2025

From 1965 to 2023, the number of generals and admirals increased by 31 percent, according to a report last year by the Congressional Research Service. —Tom Bowman, NPR, 6 May 2025

Hegseth wants the number of active-duty four-star generals and admirals in the U.S. military to be cut by at least 20 percent, according to a new memo released Monday. HIGHER EDUCATION: Trump doesn’t have the legal authority to nix Harvard University’s tax-exempt status on his own. —Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 6 May 2025

As of 2023, there were 37 four-star generals and admirals across the entire U.S. military. —Adeola Adeosun gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 May 2025

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.