Lieutenant
/luːˈtɛnənt/; UK traditionally /lɛfˈtɛnənt/noun
A military or naval officer ranking below a captain or serving as a deputy to a superior.
Did you know?The British pronunciation /lɛfˈtɛnənt/ is unusual: the /f/ does not reflect the modern French pronunciation and likely arose through historical spelling and dialect influence.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ten-
“To stretch, hold, or maintain”
Classical Latin
Latin
tenēre
“To hold, keep, possess, or occupy”
Medieval Latin
Latin
locum tenēns
“One holding a place or office for another”
13th–14th Century
Old French
lieu tenant
“Place-holder; a deputy acting in someone else’s place”
14th Century
Middle English
lieutenant
“A deputy or military officer acting for a superior”
Modern English
English
lieutenant
“A commissioned military or naval officer, or a deputy in certain organizations”