Lieutenant
The steady tactics steering Captain Oze through chaotic rescues.
Lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer rank used in armed forces, fire services, emergency medical services, security services, and police forces. The rank often designates someone who is "second-in-command" and may precede the name of the rank directly above it—for example, a "lieutenant master" is second-in-command to the "master." In armies and air forces, the rank is often subdivided into subcategories of seniority. In English-speaking navies, lieutenants are often equivalent to the army rank of captain; in other navies, lieutenants are usually equal to their army counterparts.
Quick Facts
- Role
- Second-in-Command
Did You Know?
- The word lieutenant derives from French; 'lieu' means 'place' and 'tenant' means 'holding,' so a lieutenant is a placeholder for a superior during their absence.
- In the 19th century, British writers argued for replacing 'lieutenant' with the calque 'steadholder,' but their efforts failed.
- Pronunciation of lieutenant as 'lef-TEN-ənt' is generally associated with British Commonwealth armies, while 'loo-TEN-ənt' is associated with the United States military.
- In Royal Naval tradition, a reduced pronunciation 'lə-TEN-ənt' is used, though it is not recognized as current by recent editions of the OED.
- Historically, the 'lieutenant' was the deputy to a 'captain,' and as armies formalized, a captain commanded a company with several lieutenants each commanding a platoon.
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