different between lieutenant vs commander

English

Alternative forms

• leftenant, leftenaunt, lieftenant, lieftenaunt, lieutenaunt (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle French lieutenant, from lieu (“place”) + tenant (“holding”). Doublet of locum tenens.

Pronunciation

• (UK, General Australian, General New Zealand) IPA^(key): /l?f?t?n?nt/, /l??t?n?nt/
  • (UK)
• (US) IPA^(key): /l(j)u?t?n?nt/
  • (US)
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /l(j)u?t?n?nt/, /l?f?t?n?nt/
  • (Canada)
  • (Canada)
• (India) IPA^(key): /?l?ft?n?nt/
• Rhymes: -?n?nt

Noun

lieutenant (plural lieutenants)

1. (military) The lowest Junior Commissioned Officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.
   1. (military, US) In the US Army, Air Force and Marines, holding the rank above Second Lieutenant and below Captain. Both ranks may be referred to as "Lieutenant" or as the complete forms of the ranks.
   2. (military, US, navy) A naval officer whose rank is above that of Ensign in the United States Navy and below that of a Lieutenant Commander. There are two ranks of lieutenant: Lieutenant Junior Grade and Lieutenant.
   3. (military, US) A Commissioned Officer in the United States Coast Guard, Public Health Service, or National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration whose rank is above that of Ensign and below Lieutenant Commander. There are two ranks of lieutenant: Lieutenant Junior Grade and lieutenant.
   4. (military, Britain) A Commissioned Officer in the British Army and Royal Marines, holding the rank above Second Lieutenant and below Captain. Both ranks may be referred to as "Lieutenant," however "Second Lieutenant" is to specify that the officer is not yet a full Lieutenant.
   5. (military, Britain) A naval officer whose rank is above that of Sub-Lieutenant in the British Navy and below that of a Lieutenant Commander.
   6. (military, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) A naval Commissioned Officer who holds the rank above Sub-Lieutenant and below Lieutenant Commander.
2. A person who manages or executes the plans and directives of another, more senior person - i.e. a manager to his director.
3. The second-in-command (2IC) of a group.

Usage notes

When used as a title, it is always capitalised, and frequently abbreviated to Lt.

• Example: Lieutenant Anne Ward.

The rank of lieutenant corresponds to pay grade O-3 in the US Navy, Coast Guard, Public Health Service, and National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration.

Synonyms

• (military): Lt., LT., LT, lieut., Lieut., lieut, Lieut (abbreviation)

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• subaltern

Descendants

• ? Irish: leifteanant
• ? Swahili: luteni

Adjective

lieutenant (not comparable)

1. A military grade that is junior to the grade the adjective modifies: lieutenant colonel, lieutenant general, lieutenant commander.

Translations

References

• Lieutenant, World Wide Words

French

Etymology

From lieu +? tenant.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ljøt.n??/

Noun

lieutenant m (plural lieutenants, feminine lieutenante)

1. lieutenant

Descendants

• ? Danish: løjtnant
• ? Romansch: litinent

Further reading

• “lieutenant” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Middle French

Noun

lieutenant m (plural lieutenants)

1. lieutenant (person who executes the plans and directives of another)

Descendants

• ? German: Leutnant, Leutenant
  • ? Estonian: leitnant
  • ? Lower Sorbian: leutnant
• ? English: lieutenant, leftenant, leftenaunt, lieftenant, lieftenaunt, lieutenaunt
  • ? Irish: leifteanant
  • ? Swahili: luteni
• French: lieutenant
  • ? Danish: løjtnant
  • ? Romansch: litinent

English

Etymology

From Middle English comaundour, commaunder, comaunder, borrowed from Old French comandeor, cumandeur, from comander. See command.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /k??mænd?/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /k??m??nd?/
• (Northern England) IPA^(key): /k??mand?/

Noun

commander (plural commanders)

1. One who exercises control and direction of a military or naval organization.
2. A naval officer whose rank is above that of a lieutenant commander and below that of captain.
3. One who exercises control and direction over a group of persons.
4. A designation or rank in certain non-military organizations such as NASA and various police forces.
5. (obsolete) The chief officer of a commandry.
6. A heavy beetle or wooden mallet, used in paving, in sail lofts, etc.
7. A rank within an honorary order: e.g. Commander of the Legion of Honour.
8. Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the Asian genus Moduza.

Derived terms

• commanderless
• commanderlike
• commanderly

Translations

French

Etymology

From Old French comander, from Vulgar Latin *command?re, from Latin commend?re, present active infinitive of commend?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?.m??.de/
• Homophones: commandai, commandé, commandée, commandées, commandés, commandez

Verb

commander

1. to order (tell someone to do something)
2. to order (ask for a product)

Conjugation

Derived terms

• commandeur
• commandement

Related terms

• commande

Descendants

• ? Romanian: comanda

Further reading

• “commander” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).