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lieutenant

Pronunciation: /lɛfˈtɛnənt/
Translate lieutenant | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of lieutenant

noun

  • a deputy or substitute acting for a superior:one of the Prime Minister’s most trusted lieutenants
  • a rank of officer in the British army, above second lieutenant and below captain.
  • a rank of officer in the navy, above sub lieutenant and below lieutenant commander.
  • (in the US) a police officer next in rank below captain.

Derivatives

lieutenancy

noun (plural lieutenancies)

Origin:

late Middle English: from Old French (see lieu, tenant)

In the normal British pronunciation of lieutenant the first syllable sounds like lef-. In the standard US pronunciation the first syllable, in contrast, rhymes with do. It is difficult to explain where the f in the British pronunciation comes from. Probably, at some point before the 19th century, the u at the end of Old French lieu was read and pronounced as a v, and the v later became an f.

lieutenant in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of lieutenant in the US English dictionary
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