Where does “lieutenant” come from?
Lieutenant derives from Middle French lieutenant, from Middle French lieu meaning "place," from Old French leu, from Latin locus meaning "place," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European stel- meaning "to place or set."
lieutenant (English): The lowest Junior Commissioned Officer rank in...
Definitions
- The lowest Junior Commissioned Officer rank in...
Ancestry of “lieutenant”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | lieutenant | lieutenant person who executes the plans and directives of another |
| 2 | Middle French | lieu | place |
| 3 | Old French | leu | wolf; place |
| 4 | Latin | locus | place, spot; a passage of literature; "in the... |
| 5 | Old Latin | stlocus | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | stlokos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | stel- | to put, to place; to locate |