Admiral: The Navy's Top Rank, and the Arabic Word Hiding Inside It
An admiral commands a fleet and holds the highest rank in most navies. The word travelled into English from Arabic through Sicily and France.
An admiral is a senior naval officer, usually one commanding a fleet or an entire navy. The rank sits above captain and comes in grades: rear admiral, vice admiral, admiral, and in some navies admiral of the fleet.
- A high naval rank. *She was promoted to rear admiral.*
- The commander of a fleet. *The admiral signalled the attack.*
- A butterfly. *The red admiral is common in European gardens.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | admiral | Ask the admiral. |
| Plural | admirals | Two admirals attended. |
| Noun (rank/office) | admiralty | The Admiralty ordered a refit. |
| Adjective | admiral's | The admiral's flagship. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The admiral took command of the Atlantic fleet.The core sense.
- Nelson was made a vice admiral before Trafalgar.Grades within the rank.
- A red admiral settled on the buddleia.The butterfly, named for its colours.
The word's journey
From Arabic *amīr al-baḥr*, commander of the sea, shortened in Norman Sicily to *amir* and reshaped in Old French as *amiral*. English added the *d* by association with Latin *admirabilis*. A word for an Arab sea commander became the English navy's highest title.
What is above an admiral?
In navies that use it, admiral of the fleet, a rank usually reserved for wartime or ceremonial appointment.
Why is a butterfly called a red admiral?
The name is likely a shift from *red admirable*, describing its striking colouring, recorded from the seventeenth century.