Link Centre Dictionary

lieutenant

lieu·te·nant

UK/lɛfˈtɛn.ənt/ US/ləfˈtɛn.ənt/ very common uk us

noun

1.
2.
3.

an assistant with power to act when his superior is absent

Synonyms
4.

an officer holding a commissioned rank in the United States Navy or the United States Coast Guard; below lieutenant commander and above lieutenant junior grade

Origin

From Middle English lieutenant, lieftenaunt, from Anglo-Norman lieutenant, lyutenaunt, leu tenant, leu tenaunt (“deputy, lieutenant”), from Old French lieu (“place”) + tenant (“holder”). Doublet of locum tenens and stadtholder.

Phrases

  • brevet lieutenant
  • captain lieutenant
  • corvette lieutenant
  • desk lieutenant
  • fifth lieutenant
  • first lieutenant
  • flag lieutenant
  • flight lieutenant

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.