admiral

noun

ad·​mi·​ral ˈad-m(ə-)rəl How to pronounce admiral (audio)
1
archaic : the commander in chief of a navy
2
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 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 White admirals and meadow fritillary caterpillars form chrysalises attached to twigs, and adult morning cloaks hide among sticks and rocks. Tovah Martin, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2023 Rather than being tried in an assize court, whose judges tended not to be very religious, Clarke was tried by a presiding judge who was a strict Puritan, a slave-trafficker, and a notoriously cruel admiral. Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2024 Two of his lead actors — Sofia Boutella, who plays reluctant rebel leader Kora, and Ed Skrein, starring as Noble, a cruel admiral in the evil empire — are standing on a platform, whacking each other with light sticks. Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Nov. 2023 The list of promotions on hold was expected to continue growing if Tuberville did not drop his objections, with about three-quarters of the military's more than 850 generals and admirals due to be blockaded by year's end, the senior defense official said. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 6 Dec. 2023 The admiral’s comments drew a rebuke from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, even as Chinese Communist commerce officials settled in to host Raimondo. Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'admiral.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of admiral was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near admiral

Cite this Entry

“Admiral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/admiral. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

admiral

noun
ad·​mi·​ral ˈad-mə-rəl How to pronounce admiral (audio)
-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.
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