What is "lieutenant"

Lieutenant \Lieu*ten"ant\ (l[-u]*t[e^]n"ant), n. [F., fr. lieu place + tenant holding, p. pr. of tenir to hold, L. tenere. See Lieu, and Tenant, and cf. Locum tenens.]

1. An officer who supplies the place of a superior in his absence; a representative of, or substitute for, another in the performance of any duty.

   The lawful magistrate, who is the vicegerent or lieutenant of God.
   --Abp. Bramhall.

2. 1. A commissioned officer in the army, next below a captain.

   2. A commissioned officer in the British navy, in rank next below a commander.

   3. A commissioned officer in the United States navy, in rank next below a lieutenant commander. Note: Lieutenant is often used, either adjectively or in hyphened compounds, to denote an officer, in rank next below another, especially when the duties of the higher officer may devolve upon the lower one; as, lieutenant general, or lieutenant-general; lieutenant colonel, or lieutenant-colonel; lieutenant governor, etc. Deputy lieutenant, the title of any one of the deputies or assistants of the lord lieutenant of a county. [Eng.] Lieutenant colonel, an army officer next in rank above major, and below colonel. Lieutenant commander, an officer in the United States navy, in rank next below a commander and next above a lieutenant. Lieutenant general. See in Vocabulary. Lieutenant governor.

      1. An officer of a State, being next in rank to the governor, and in case of the death or resignation of the latter, himself acting as governor. [U. S.]

      2. A deputy governor acting as the chief civil officer of one of several colonies under a governor general.

late 14c., "one who takes the place of another," from Old French lieu tenant "substitute, deputy," literally "placeholder," from lieu "place" (see lieu) + tenant, present participle of tenir "to hold" (see tenant). The notion is of a "substitute" for higher authority. Specific military sense of "officer next in rank to a captain" is from 1570s. Pronunciation with lef- is common in Britain, and spellings to reflect it date back to 14c., but the origin of this is a mystery (OED rejects suggestion that it comes from old confusion of -u- and -v-).

a. A military grade that is junior to the grade the adjective modifies: ''lieutenant colonel'', ''lieutenant general'', ''lieutenant commander''. n. 1 (context military English) The lowest commissioned officer rank or ranks in many military forces. 2 # (context military US English) In the US Army, Air Force and Marines, second lieutenant is the rank below first lieutenant, which is below captain. Both ranks may be referred to as ''Lieutenant'' or as the complete forms of the ranks. 3 # (context military US navy English) A naval officer whose rank is above that of ensign in the United States Navy and below that of a lieutenant commander. There are two ranks of lieutenant: lieutenant junior grade and lieutenant. 4 # (context military US English) A commissioned officer in the United States Coast Guard, Public Health Service, or National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration whose rank is above that of ensign and below lieutenant commander. There are two ranks of lieutenant: lieutenant junior grade and lieutenant. 5 # (context military British English) A naval officer in the Royal Navy who holds the rank above sub-lieutenant and below lieutenant commander. 6 # (context military Canada Australia New Zealand English) A naval officer who holds the rank above sub-lieutenant and below lieutenant commander. 7 A person who executes the plans and directives of another.

1. n. a commissioned military officer

2. an officer in a police force [syn: police lieutenant]

3. an assistant with power to act when his superior is absent [syn: deputy]

4. an officer holding a commissioned rank in the United States Navy or the United States Coast Guard; below lieutenant commander and above lieutenant junior grade

A lieutenant (abbreviated Lt., LT, LTA, Lieut., LEUT and LEUT.) is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces, fire service or police.

The meaning of lieutenant differs in different military formations (see comparative military ranks), but is often subdivided into senior ( first lieutenant) and junior ( second lieutenant) ranks. In navies it is often equivalent to the army rank of captain; it may also indicate a particular post rather than a rank. The rank is also used in fire services, emergency medical services, security services and police forces.

Lieutenant may also appear as part of a title used in various other organisations with a codified command structure. It often designates someone who is " second-in-command," and as such, may precede the name of the rank directly above it. For example, a "lieutenant master" is likely to be second-in-command to the "master" in an organisation using both ranks.

Political uses include lieutenant governor in various governments, and Quebec lieutenant in Canadian politics. In the United Kingdom, a lord lieutenant is the sovereign's representative in a county or lieutenancy area, while a deputy lieutenant is one of the lord lieutenant's deputies.

Lieutenant (junior grade) (LTJG) is a junior commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps), with the pay grade of O-2. The rank is also used in the United States Maritime Service. The NOAA Corps's predecessors, the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps (1917-1965) and the Environmental Science Services Administration Corps or ESSA Corps (1965-1970), also used the rank.

Lieutenant, junior grade, ranks above ensign and below lieutenant and is equivalent to a first lieutenant in the other uniformed services (the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force) and sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navy and the navies of many Commonwealth countries.

Promotion to LTJG is governed by Department of Defense policies derived from the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act of 1980. DOPMA guidelines suggest all "fully qualified" ensigns should be promoted to LTJG. The time for promotion to LTJG is a minimum of two years after commissioning in the Navy or 18 months in the Coast Guard. Lieutenants, junior grade typically lead petty officers and non-rated personnel, unless assigned to small aircraft or on staff duty. A LTJG's usual shipboard billet is as a Division Officer.

Lieutenant, junior grade is often referred to colloquially as JG ("Jay-Gee"). Prior to March 3, 1883, this rank was known in the Navy as Master.

Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt, LT, LT(N), Lieut and LEUT, depending on nation) is a commissioned officer rank in many nations' navies. It is typically the most senior of junior officer ranks. The rank's insignia usually consists of two medium gold braid stripes and often the uppermost stripe features a loop or executive curl.

The now immediately senior rank of lieutenant commander was formerly a senior naval lieutenant rank. Many navies also use a subordinate rank of sub-lieutenant. The appointment of "first lieutenant" in many navies is held by a senior lieutenant.

Naval lieutenants rank higher than army lieutenants; a naval lieutenant is a NATO OF-2 (US grade O-3) and ranks with an army captain.

'''Lieutenant ''' (Lt) is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above second lieutenant and below captain and has a NATO ranking code of OF-1 and it is the senior subaltern rank. Unlike some armed forces which use first lieutenant, the British rank is simply lieutenant, with no ordinal attached. The rank is equivalent to that of a flying officer in the Royal Air Force. Although formerly considered senior to a Royal Navy sub-lieutenant, the Army and Navy ranks of lieutenant and sub-lieutenant are now considered to be of equivalent status. The Army rank of lieutenant has always been junior to the Navy's rank of lieutenant.

In the 21st-century British Army, the rank is ordinarily held for up to three years. A typical appointment for a lieutenant might be the command of a platoon or troop of approximately thirty soldiers.

Before 1871, when the whole British Army switched to using the current rank of "lieutenant", the Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers and Fusilier regiments used "first lieutenant" and "second lieutenant".

The military rank of lieutenant in the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps is now divided between:

• First lieutenant, sometimes called simply "lieutenant"
• Second lieutenant

During the American Civil War (1861-1865), brevet second lieutenants in the Union Army and Confederate States Army were sometimes also known as "third lieutenants".

In the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, and United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the rank of lieutenant is now divided between:

• Lieutenant
• Lieutenant junior grade

Category:Military ranks of the United States Army Category:Military ranks of the United States Navy Category:Officer ranks of the United States Air Force