Second Lieutenant Second Lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces . Etymology . The word " lieutenant " derives from French ; the " lieu " meaning " in place " as in a position ( cf . in lieu of ) ; and " tenant " meaning " holding " as in " holding a position " ; thus a " lieutenant " is somebody who holds a position in the absence of his or her superior ( compare the Latin " locum tenens " ) . Similar words in other languages include the Arabic " mulāzim " ( ) , meaning " holding a place " , and the Hebrew word " segen " ( ) , meaning " deputy " or " second to " . In the nineteenth century , British writers who either considered this word an imposition on the English language , or difficult for common soldiers and sailors , argued for it to be replaced by the calque " steadholder . " However , their efforts failed , and the French word is still used , along with its Lieutenant - Colonel variation , in both the Old and the New World . Pronunciation . Pronunciation of " lieutenant " is generally split between the forms " lef - tenant " ( ) and " lieu - tenant " ( ) , with the former generally associated with the United Kingdom , Ireland and Commonwealth countries , and the latter generally associated with the United States . The earlier history of the pronunciation is unclear ; Middle English spellings suggest that the and pronunciations existed even then . The rare Old French variant spelling " luef " for Modern French " lieu " ( ' place ' ) supports the suggestion that a final of the Old French word was in certain environments perceived as an . In Royal Naval — and other English - speaking navies outside the United States — tradition , the intermediate pronunciation was preserved . This is not recognized as current by the OED , however , and by 1954 the Royal Canadian Navy , at least , regarded it as " obsolescent " even while regarding " the army ' s ' LEF - tenant ' " to be " a corruption of the worst sort " . United Kingdom and Commonwealth . The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign ( cornet in the cavalry ) , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery , Royal Engineers , Fusilier and Rifle regiment s . At first the rank bore no distinct insignia . In 1902 a single bath star ( now commonly referred to as a " pip " ) was introduced ; the ranks of lieutenant and captain had their number of stars increased by one to ( respectively ) two and three . The rank is also used by the Royal Marines . In the Royal Air Force the comparable rank is pilot officer . The Royal Navy has no exactly equivalent rank , and a second lieutenant is senior to a Royal Navy midshipman but junior to a Sub - Lieutenant . The Royal New Zealand Navy – breaking with Royal Navy tradition – uses the ensign grade for this rank equivalent . The Royal Australian Navy also breaks tradition in the sense that it has the equivalent rank of Ensign , but it is titled " acting sub lieutenant . " The Canadian Forces adopted the rank with insignia of a single gold ring around the service dress uniform cuff for both army and air personnel upon unification in 1968 . For a time , naval personnel used this rank but reverted to the Royal Canadian Navy rank of acting sub - lieutenant , though the CF Green uniform was retained until the mid - 1980s . United States . In the United States , Second Lieutenant is typically the entry - level rank for most commissioned officers . In the U . S . Army and the U . S . Marine Corps , a second lieutenant typically leads a platoon - size element ( 16 to 44 soldiers or Marines ) . In the Army , the rank bore no insignia until December 1917 , when a gold bar was introduced to contrast with the silver bar of a first lieutenant . In the U . S . Air Force , a second lieutenant may supervise flights of varying sizes , depending upon the career field , as a flight commander or assistant flight commander or may work in a variety of administrative positions at the squadron , group , or wing level . As a result of the gold color of the bars and their usual inexperience as officers , second lieutenants are often colloquially referred to as Butterbars or Nuggets . Other colloquialisms include Commissioned Privates , 2nd Luey , or Brown Bars ( this last is due to the subdued gold color of the bar as worn on tactical uniforms ) . The corresponding United States Coast Guard and United States Navy rank is ensign . People who have a bachelor ' s degree , or members of ROTC ( Reserve Officers ' Training Corps ) in college may also enter as a Second Lieutenant . Newly commissioned Second Lieutenants usually attend a Basic Officer Training course . Norway . The equivalent rank in Norway ( O - 1 ) is " fenrik " , but the function of the rank differs drastically from other armies . Although it is an officer rank , it strongly resembles an NCO - rank in practice . The ranking system in Norway is quite different , while they do not have a professional army , Fenriks are usually former experienced sergeants but to become a sergeant one has to go through officer ' s training and education . Though they still fill such roles as squad leaders and platoon sergeants while at the rank Fenrik , in some cases Fenriks are Executive Officers ( XOs ) . Most Fenriks have finished the War Academy as well , and are fully trained officers . This is due to the lack of an NCO - corps in the Norwegian army .