# lieutenant

Pronunciation: US say "loo-TEN-uhnt" /l(j)uˈtɛnənt/; UK/AUS say "lef-TEN-uhnt" /lɛfˈtɛnənt/

## Noun

1. A commissioned officer of junior rank in an army, air force, or marine corps, ranking below a captain.
   - Simple: A junior officer in the army, air force, or marines, one rank below a captain.
   - _The Air Force lieutenant was put in charge of the base's aircraft maintenance flight._
   - _As a lieutenant in the Marine Corps, he served as executive officer of a rifle company._
2. A deputy or chief assistant who acts for a leader or carries out their orders.
   - Simple: The person who helps a leader and acts for them, second in charge.
   - _While the expedition leader rested at base camp, her lieutenant took the climbers up to the next ridge._
   - _Every rebel cell had a leader and a lieutenant who would take over if the leader was captured._
4. A commissioned officer in a navy, coast guard, or similar service, ranking below lieutenant commander and above lieutenant junior grade (US) or sub-lieutenant (UK).
   - Simple: An officer in a navy or coast guard whose rank is just below lieutenant commander.
   - _The lieutenant served as navigator aboard the destroyer during its Pacific deployment._
   - _Two lieutenants from the Coast Guard station boarded the fishing boat to inspect its catch._
5. A member of a police force or fire department holding an officer's rank beneath that of captain.
   - Simple: A leader in a police or fire department whose rank is lower than a captain's.
   - _The lieutenant sent two engine crews to the burning warehouse and called for more water._
   - _Detectives in the homicide unit answer to a lieutenant, who in turn answers to the precinct captain._

## Adjective

3. Placed before a military rank to name a grade junior to that rank, as in lieutenant colonel, lieutenant general, and lieutenant commander.
   - Simple: Put before a military rank to name a rank below it, as in lieutenant colonel.
   - _After twenty years of service, she was promoted to lieutenant commander._
   - _The lieutenant general's staff included two colonels and a dozen junior officers._

## Origin

Old French lieu ("place") and tenant ("holder") combined to give Anglo-Norman lieutenant, lyutenaunt or leu tenant ("deputy, lieutenant"), which became Middle English lieutenant or lieftenaunt. Locum tenens is a doublet.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/lieutenant (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).