Where does “admiral” come from?
Admiral comes from Old French amirail, from Arabic أَمِير الْبَحْر, meaning commander of the sea.
admiral (English): A naval officer of the highest rank; the...
Definitions
- A naval officer of the highest rank; the...
Ancestry of “admiral”, step by step
admiral traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English amiral
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | amiral | Prince, emir or other Muslim commander or ruler;... |
| 2 | Old French | amiral | admiral |
| 3 | Latin | amiralis | — |
| 4 | Latin | -ālis | — |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -ālis | forms relational adjectives |
via Old French amirail
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | amirail | Alternative form of amiral |
| 2 | Arabic | أَمِير الْبَحْر | commander of the fleet |