admiral

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ad·mi·ral

(ăd′mər-əl)

1. The commander in chief of a fleet.

2. A flag officer.

a. A commissioned rank in the US Navy or Coast Guard that is above vice admiral and below Admiral of the Fleet.

b. One who holds the rank of admiral, Admiral of the Fleet, rear admiral, or vice admiral.

4. Any of various brightly colored nymphalid butterflies of the genera Limenitis and Vanessa, especially V. atalanta, having black wings with red bands.

5. Archaic The ship carrying an admiral; flagship.

[Middle English amiral, admiral, Muslim military commander, emir, admiral, ultimately (partly via Old French amiral) from Medieval Latin admīrālis, alteration (influenced by admīrārī, to wonder at, admire) of amīrālis, ultimately (possibly via Medieval Greek ameras, amerad-) from Arabic 'amīr, commander; see ʔmr in Semitic roots + Latin -ālis, noun suffix. Alternatively, both Old French amiral and Medieval Latin amīrālis ultimately from Arabic 'amīr-al-'ālī, the high commander ('amīr + al, the + 'ālī, high; see ʕly in Semitic roots).]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

admiral

(ˈædmərəl)

1. (Military) the supreme commander of a fleet or navy

2. (Military) Also called: admiral of the fleet or fleet admiral a naval officer of the highest rank, equivalent to general of the army or field marshal

3. (Military) a senior naval officer entitled to fly his own flag. See also rear admiral, vice admiral

4. (Nautical Terms) chiefly Brit the master of a fishing fleet

5. (Animals) any of various nymphalid butterflies, esp the red admiral or white admiral

[C13: amyral, from Old French amiral emir, and from Medieval Latin admīrālis (the spelling with d probably influenced by admīrābilis admirable); both from Arabic amīr emir, commander, esp in the phrase amīr-al commander of, as in amīr-al-bahr commander of the sea]

ˈadmiralˌship n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ad•mi•ral

(ˈæd mər əl)

n.

1. the commander in chief of a fleet.

2. (in the U.S. Navy)

a. a high-ranking officer, next above vice-admiral.

b. an officer of any of the four highest ranks: rear admiral, vice-admiral, admiral, and fleet admiral.

3. any of several brightly colored butterflies of the genera Vanessa and Basilarchia, as the red admiral, V. atalanta rubria.

4. Obs. the flagship of an admiral.

[1175–1225; Middle English, variant of amiral < Old French < Arabic amīr al commander of the amīr al-mu'minīn commander of the faithful]

ad′mi•ral•ship`, n.

admiral

- First used in English to mean "an emir or prince under the Sultan," coming from Arabic amir al, "commander of"; admiral was originally a sea lord due to the office of amir-al-bahr or amir-al-ma (Arabic), "ameer/emir of the sea."

admiral

[ˈædmərəl] N → almirante mf

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

admiral

[ˈædmərəl] n (in the army, navy) → amiral m
Admiral Hodges → l'amiral Hodges

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

admiral

n → Admiral(in) m(f); Admiral of the Fleet (Brit) → Großadmiral(in) m(f) ? red admiral

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

admiral

[ˈædm/ərəl] n → ammiraglio

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

admiral

(ˈӕdmərəl) noun

(with capital in titles) the commander of a navy.

References in classic literature ?

The English fleet was soon recognized by the line of the ships, and by the color of their pennants; the one which had the princess on board and carried the admiral's flag preceded the others.

When the maneuver had been completed, the vessel which bore the admiral saluted France by twelve discharges of cannon, which were returned, discharge for discharge, from Fort Francis I.

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If a rich admiral were to come in our way, Sir Walter--"

One day last spring, in town, I was in company with two men, striking instances of what I am talking of; Lord St Ives, whose father we all know to have been a country curate, without bread to eat; I was to give place to Lord St Ives, and a certain Admiral Baldwin, the most deplorable-looking personage you can imagine; his face the colour of mahogany, rough and rugged to the last degree; all lines and wrinkles, nine grey hairs of a side, and nothing but a dab of powder at top.

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It was the habit of the Doctor and the Admiral to accompany each other upon a morning ramble between breakfast and lunch.

The Admiral was in high spirits, for the morning post had brought good news to his son.

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He heard Fanshaw say there was no need to be silly; that not only had Cornish captains been heroes, but that they were heroes still: that near that very spot there was an old admiral, now retired, who was scarred by thrilling voyages full of adventures; and who had in his youth found the last group of eight Pacific Islands that was added to the chart of the world.

This place belongs to Old Pendragon, whom we call the Admiral; though he retired before getting the rank.

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Shall I leave the money to the admiral?" He paused, and considered a little.

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On this buccaneering expedition, Rear Admiral Du Petit Thouars, leaving the rest of his squadron at the Marquesas,--which had then been occupied by his forces about five months--set sail for the doomed island in the Reine Blanche frigate.

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Admiral Conyers paid his usual morning visit to the Admiralty, lunched at his club and returned home that evening in a state of suppressed excitement.

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You chose to consult the Admiral before you made up your mind."

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Noun	1.	admiral - the supreme commander of a fleet; ranks above a vice admiral and below a fleet admiral full admiral flag officer - a senior naval officer above the rank of captain
	2.	admiral - any of several brightly colored butterflies brush-footed butterfly, four-footed butterfly, nymphalid, nymphalid butterfly - medium to large butterflies found worldwide typically having brightly colored wings and much-reduced nonfunctional forelegs carried folded on the breast