Admiral
English
Etymology
From Middle English admiral, admirel, admirail, from Old French amirail, amiral (modern amiral) and Medieval Latin admīrālis, amīrālis, both from Arabic أَمِير الْبَحْر (ʔamīr al-baḥr, “commander of the fleet”). Later associated with admirable. Akin to amir, Amir and emir.
First recorded in English September 1300, to refer to Gerard Allard of Winchelsea, referred to as “Admiral of the Fleet of the Cinque Ports”. [1][2]
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈæd.mə.ɹəl/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈæd.mɚl̩/
Audio (US) (file)
Noun
Admiral (uncountable)
- (military) A naval officer title
References
- The Mastery of the Sea, by Cyril Field, page 234
- Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “Admiral”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Anagrams
- amildar
German
Etymology
Borrowed from English admiral, from Middle English amiral, from Old French amirail, amiral, from Arabic أَمِير اَلبَحْر (ʔamīr al-baḥr, “commander of the fleet”, literally “sea commander”). Cognate with French amiral, etc.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /admiˈʁaːl/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -aːl
Noun
Admiral m (strong, genitive Admirals, plural Admirale or Admiräle, feminine Admiralin)
- admiral (male or of unspecified gender)
Declension
| singular | plural | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| indef. | def. | noun | def. | noun | |
| nominative | ein | der | Admiral | die | Admirale, Admiräle |
| genitive | eines | des | Admirals | der | Admirale, Admiräle |
| dative | einem | dem | Admiral, Admirale1 | den | Admiralen, Admirälen |
| accusative | einen | den | Admiral | die | Admirale, Admiräle |
1Now uncommon, see notes.
Derived terms
- Flottillenadmiral (“commodore”)
- Generaladmiral
- Großadmiral
- Konteradmiral
- Vizeadmiral
Descendants
- → Polish: admirał
- → Slovene: admiral
Further reading
- “Admiral” in Duden online
- “Admiral” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache