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
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His fellow referees dressed as a fisherman, an admiral and a commander. M.l. Elrick, Freep.com, 2 Sep. 2025 One day, a visiting admiral ordered him to steal a sacred relic from a temple. Greg Mitchell august 8, Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025 On Tinian, waiting for the Enola Gay’s return, a crowd of generals and admirals had gathered. David Perlmutt, Charlotte Observer, 6 Aug. 2025 The disaster occurred after admirals spent years dismissing community calls to move the tanks. Audrey McAvoy, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for admiral

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

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Cite this Entry

“Admiral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/admiral. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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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