admiral
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: biology
conchology
government
military
natural-sciences
politics
war
zoology
Etymology: From Middle English admiral etc., from Anglo-Norman and Old French admiral etc., from Medieval Latin admiralis, admirallus, and admiralius, from irregular modification of amiralis etc. under the influence of the prefix ad- and particularly admiror (“to admire, respect”), from Arabic أَمِير (ʔamīr, “commander”) + -alis (“-al”). The ending is frequently but mistakenly folk etymologized to derive from the article ال (al-), particularly in Arabic أَمِير اَلبَحْر (ʔamīr al-baḥr, “commander of the sea”), first attested as a Fatimid office, or in Arabic أَمِير الْمُؤْمِنِين (ʔamīr al-muʔminīn, “Commander of the Believers, caliph”). It seems instead to have been borrowed from modification of only the first term in Arabic أَمِير الْأُمَرَاء (ʔamīr al-ʔumarāʔ, “emir of emirs, commander-in-chief”) as used as a title for important commanders in Norman Sicily in the mid-12th century. First attested as an English rank in reference to Gervase Alard of Winchelsea as "admiral of the fleet of the Cinque Ports". Doublet of emir, amir, Amir, and amira.
Etymology tree
Arabic أَمِير (ʔamīr)
Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.?
Proto-Italic *-ālis
Medieval Latin -ālis
▲
Latin admīrorinflu.
Medieval Latin admirālisder.
Old French admiralder.
Middle English admiral
English admiral
Inflected forms:
form: admirals
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: Admiral
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: Adm.
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: Adm
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: adml.
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: ADM
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: admyralle
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: amyrall
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: admarall
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: admerell
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: admerolle
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: admirell
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: admyrell
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: amerall
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: ammyrall
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: amral
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: amrell
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: amrelle
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: admirail
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: admiralle
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: admyral
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: admyrall
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: amiral
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: amirall
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: ammiral
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: admeral
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: admerall
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: ammirall
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: admirant
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: amrall
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: ammirant
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: admirall
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: admirante
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: admirel
pos: noun
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: The commander of a naval squadron or fleet, regardless of formal rank.
pos: noun
tags: informal
gloss: The appointed commander of a navy, regardless of formal title.
pos: noun
gloss: A high rank in the British and American Navies, NATO grade OF-9, equivalent ranks in other navies, in coast guards, etc.
pos: noun
examples: ... from my experience in Ours as well as from my former intimacy with many Officers of Note in the British Navy, I am convinced that the Parity of Rank between Sea & land or Marine Officers, is of more consequence to the harmony of the Service, than hath generally been imagined. — in the British Establishment — an Admiral ranks with a Genl a Vice Admiral with a Lieut Genl a Rear Admiral with a Major Genl a Commodore with a Brigadier Genl — a Captain with a Colonel, a master & Commander with a Lieut Colnel — a Lieut. Commanding with a Major, and a Lieutenant in the Navy Ranks with a Captain of Horse, Foot or Marines. — I propose not our Enemies as an Example for our Genl imitation — Yet as their Navy is the best regulated of any in the World, we must in Some degree imitate them and Aim at such further improvement as may one day make ours Vie with and Exceed theirs.
He has appealed to the navies of Europe to prove, that we ought to have Admirals; then, of course he is willing, or at least ought to be so, to let their rules govern in promoting to that grade. The general principle which governs the navies of the old world is... when the Post is attained, then promotion is by inheritance... If a Post Captain in the English navy lives long enough, he is certain of being an Admiral, though not before he is sixty years of age... Hence it is manifest that the public interest no more requires the new grade of Admiral to be added to the navy, than it does the bestowing of orders of nobility on all the diplomatic agents, who represent the United States at the different courts of Europe.
gloss: The commander of a fishing or merchant fleet, particularly (historical, Canada) a captain granted special privileges in exchange for bringing the first ship of a given fishing season to certain harbors in Newfoundland.
pos: noun
gloss: Any of several species of nymphalid butterflies of the genera Kaniska, Limenitis and Vanessa.
pos: noun
gloss: The shell of the Conus ammiralis; the cone shells of various other species displaying similarly intricate banding.
pos: noun
gloss: Synonym of flagship: an admiral's ship in a fleet, the command or largest ship in a naval or commercial fleet.
pos: noun
tags: historical
gloss: Synonym of emir, a Muslim commander or prince.
pos: noun
tags: historical
uncommon
examples: The Saracen admiral, Balán... held court in the Castillo de Aguas Muertas...
gloss: Any of several varieties of pear, the trees which produce them.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
Derived words: admiral butterfly
admiral cone
admiralcy
admiraless
admiral-in-chief
admiral of the blue
admiral of the fleet
Admiral of the Navy
admiral of the red
admiral of the sea
admiral of the Swiss Navy
admiral of the white
admiral pear
admiral sauce
admiral shell
admiral ship
admiralship
admiralty
blue admiral
brown admiral
commodore admiral
Dutch admiral
fishing admiral
fleet admiral
full admiral
general admiral
grand admiral
High Admiral
Kentucky Admiral
lieutenant admiral
Lord High Admiral
Lorquin's admiral
port admiral
rear admiral
red admiral
ride admiral
scarlet admiral
squadron admiral
sub-admiral
tap the admiral
under-admiral
vice admiral
white admiral
yellow admiral
Translations: