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

Pick up the set in four colors, including blue admiral (pictured above). —Carly Totten, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Nov. 2024

Miao, the latest top military official to be investigated, is seen as a political patron of Dong, who is also an admiral and once served as the top commander of the PLA Navy. —Steven Jiang, CNN, 28 Nov. 2024

The admiral tracked the junior officer’s night watch activities. —Jacqueline D. Wernimont, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024

Francis provided information about hundreds of sailors, which included petty officers and admirals, and gave financial records, photographs, receipts, and Navy contracting documents. —Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 7 Nov. 2024

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.