admiral

—admiralship, n.

/ad"meuhr euhl/, n.

1. the commander in chief of a fleet.

2. a naval officer of the highest rank.

3. a naval officer of a high rank: the grades in the U.S. Navy are fleet admiral, admiral, vice-admiral, and rear admiral.

4. Obs. the flagship of an admiral.

5. Brit. a master who directs a fishing fleet.

6. any of several often brightly colored butterflies of the family Nymphalidae, as Vanessa atalanta (red admiral).

[1175-1225; ME, var. of amiral < OF < Ar amir al commander of the; -d- < ML admirabilis mundi for Ar amir al-mu'minin commander of the faithful; or with replacement of A-⁵ by AD-, as in ADMINISTER]

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▪ butterfly

  any of several butterfly species in the family Nymphalidae (order Lepidoptera) that are fast-flying and much prized by collectors for their coloration, which consists of black wings with white bands and reddish brown markings. The migratory red admiral (Vanessa atalanta), placed in the subfamily Nymphalinae, is widespread in Europe, Scandinavia, North America, and North Africa and feeds on stinging nettles. The western, or Weidemeyer's, admiral (Limenitis weidemeyerii), is found in the western United States. The white admiral (Limenitis arthemis; see photograph—>), which occurs in North America and from Great Britain across Eurasia to Japan, feeds on honeysuckle. The Indian red admiral, V. indica, is found in the Canary Islands as well as India and is distinguished by a red band on the forewings wider than that of V. atalanta.

▪ naval officer

      the title and rank of a senior naval officer, often referred to as a flag officer, who commands a fleet or group of ships of a navy or who holds an important naval post on shore. The term is sometimes also applied to the commander of a fleet of merchant vessels or fishing ships.

      The title of admiral has an ancient lineage. It apparently originated before the 12th century with Muslim Arabs, who combined emir, or amīr (“commander”), the article al, and baḥr (“sea”) to make amīr-al-baḥr. Shortened to amiral, the title was adopted for naval use by the Sicilians. The French copied the word from the Genoese during the Seventh Crusade (1248–54). The Latin word admirabilis (“admirable”) may have contributed to the designation admiral for the commander of the Cinque Ports in England before the end of the 13th century.

      In Europe it became the title of a great officer of the crown: in France as grand amiral, in Spain as almirante mayor, and in England as lord high admiral. The noblemen who held these posts were not seamen and did not command at sea except on rare occasions; they were heads of departments that administered naval affairs. They were responsible for providing ships for war, and their duties usually brought them large fees. They also had jurisdiction in certain legal cases.

      By 1620 the word admiral was used in England to denote a commander at sea. In that year the fleet was formed into three squadrons with the admiral commanding the centre squadron, his ships flying red ensigns. The vice admiral in the van squadron flew white ensigns, and the rear admiral flew blue ensigns in his squadron.

      In the U.S. Navy a fleet admiral ranks with a general of the army or general of the air force. Admiral ranks with general and vice admiral with lieutenant general. The upper half of the rear admirals' list rank with major generals, the lower half with brigadier generals. Rank insignia for U.S. or British admirals consist of a broad gold stripe encircling the lower sleeve with one or more narrower stripes above it.

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