Definition of 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

As CBS News reported in early June, the admiral of the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier in the region, said one of his ship's primary missions is to safeguard the free flow of commerce through the Strait and the surrounding waterways. — Christina Ruffini And Tucker Reals, CBS News, "U.S. intel shows Iran tried to pick up crews from tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman," 14 June 2019 In this interview for Quartz members, reporter Jenni Avins and Stavridis discuss the admiral’s love of literature, the importance of learning through writing, and his penchant for teaching himself new languages. — Justin Gonçalves, Quartz, "Admiral James Stavridis on learning leadership through fiction," 10 June 2019 The admiral with oversight of Guantánamo prison says the war-on-terror Detention Zone with 41 captives could absorb about 24 new detainees without having to increase the current staff of 1,700 troops and civilians. — Carol Rosenberg, miamiherald, "Downsized Guantánamo prison could take maybe 24 more captives, admiral says | Miami Herald," 6 Mar. 2018 McCain was the son and grandson of admirals and followed them to the U.S. Naval Academy. — Laurie Kellman, Fox News, "McCain services set for Phoenix, Washington and Annapolis," 27 Aug. 2018 The admiral said some actually fell asleep while on the stretchers. — Robyn Dixon, latimes.com, "Tears flow as Thai boys and parents see each other for first time since cave rescue," 11 July 2018 American policymakers do not need an admiral to tell them that storms may lie ahead. — The Economist, "China has put missiles on islands in the South China Sea," 10 May 2018 Later, while in Ireland in 1667, tending to his father’s estate in Cork, Penn at age 23 joined the Society of Friends—much to the dismay of his father, a British admiral and famed naval war hero. — Robert K. Landers, WSJ, "‘William Penn’ and ‘The Worlds of William Penn’ Review: A Trans-Atlantic ‘Holy Experiment’," 11 Jan. 2019 The passion for fairness and justice extended to our own military: When a private was poorly equipped, John enjoyed nothing more than dressing down an admiral or general. — Caroline Houck, Vox, "George W. Bush honors McCain as “unwavering, undimmed, unequal”," 1 Sep. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'admiral.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for admiral

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.

Learn More about admiral