Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

admiral

/ˈædməɹəl/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.00 in modern English

Syllables
ad-mir-al
IPA
/ˈædməɹəl/
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The commander of a naval squadron or fleet, regardless of formal rank.

Informal

noun

A high rank in the British and American Navies, NATO grade OF-9, equivalent ranks in other navies, in coast guards, etc.

noun

Any of several species of nymphalid butterflies of the genera Kaniska, Limenitis and Vanessa.

noun

The shell of the Conus ammiralis; the cone shells of various other species displaying similarly intricate banding.

noun

Synonym of flagship: an admiral's ship in a fleet, the command or largest ship in a naval or commercial fleet.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Arabic أَمِير (ʔamīr) Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Medieval Latin -ālis ▲ Latin admīrorinflu. Medieval Latin admirālisder. Old French admiralder. Middle English admiral English admiral From Middle English admiral etc., from Anglo-Norman and Old French admiral etc., from Medieval Latin admiralis, admirallus, and admiralius, from irregular modification of amiralis etc. under the influence of the prefix ad- and particularly admiror (“to admire, respect”), from Arabic أَمِير (ʔamīr, “commander”) + -alis (“-al”). The ending is frequently but mistakenly folk etymologized to derive from the article ال (al-), particularly in Arabic أَمِير اَلبَحْر (ʔamīr al-baḥr, “commander of the sea”), first attested as a Fatimid office, or in Arabic أَمِير الْمُؤْمِنِين (ʔamīr al-muʔminīn, “Commander of the Believers, caliph”). It seems instead to have been borrowed from modification of only the first term in Arabic أَمِير الْأُمَرَاء (ʔamīr al-ʔumarāʔ, “emir of emirs, commander-in-chief”) as used as a title for important commanders in Norman Sicily in the mid-12th century. First attested as an English rank in reference to Gervase Alard of Winchelsea as "admiral of the fleet of the Cinque Ports". Doublet of emir, amir, Amir, and amira.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: admiral, -, admiralis, أَمِير, أَمِير الْأُمَرَاء

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈædməɹəl/
  • British English: /ˈædməɹəl/

Usage

Inflected Forms

admirals (plural) Adm. (alternative) Adm (alternative) adml. (alternative) admyralle (alternative) amyrall (alternative) admarall (alternative) admerell (alternative) admerolle (alternative) admirell (alternative) admyrell (alternative) amerall (alternative)

Derived Forms

Phrases

admiral butterfly admiral cone admiral-in-chief admiral of the blue admiral of the fleet Admiral of the Navy admiral of the red admiral of the sea

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce admiral?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈædməɹəl/.
What does admiral mean?
The commander of a naval squadron or fleet, regardless of formal rank.
Where does admiral come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce admiral

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “admiral”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈædməɹəl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “admiral”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “admiral” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.