Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some
navies
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It include ...
. In the
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
nations and the
United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full"
general in the army or the air force, and is above
vice admiral and below
admiral of the fleet, or fleet admiral.
Etymology
The word in
Middle English comes from
Anglo-French , "commander", from
Medieval Latin , . These evolved from the
Arabic () – (), “
king,
prince, chief, leader,
nobleman,
lord, a
governor,
commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain.
...
, or person who rules over a number of people,” and (), the Arabic article answering to “the.” In Arabic, admiral is also represented as (), where () means the
sea.
The 1818 edition of
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...
's ''
A Dictionary of the English Language
''A Dictionary of the English Language'', sometimes published as ''Johnson's Dictionary'', was published on 15 April 1755 and written by Samuel Johnson. It is among the most influential dictionaries in the history of the English language.
T ...
'', edited and revised by the Rev.
Henry John Todd, states that the term “has been traced to the Arab. emir or amir, lord or commander, and the
Gr. , the sea, q. d. ''prince of the sea''. The word is written both with and without the d, in other languages, as well as our own. Barb. Lat. admirallus and amiralius. V. Ducange. Barb. Græc. ἄμηρχλιος. V. Meursii Gloss. Græco-Barbarum, edit. 1610. p. 29. Fr. admiral and amiral. Dan. the same. Germ. ammiral. Dutch, admirael or ammirael. Ital. ammiraglio. Sp. almirante. Minsheu, in his Spanish Dictionary, says ‘almiralle is a king in the Arabian language.’ Amrayl is used by Robert of Gloucester, in the sense of a prince, or governour.”
The quote from
John Minsheu’s Dictionarie in Spanish and English (1599), given in Johnson’s Dictionary, has been confirmed as being accurate. Additionally, the definition of Amīr (أمير), as given in
Edward William Lane's
Arabic-English Lexicon, concurs, in part, with Minsheu's definition, stating that the term means “One having, holding, or possessing, command; a commander; a governor; a lord; a prince, or king.”
While other Greek words of the period existed to indicate “belonging to the sea,” or “of the sea,” the now obsolete Gr. mentioned in Johnson's Dictionary is expressly defined as "of the sea, Lat. marinus, epith. of
sea-gods,
nymphs, etc."
Though there are multiple meanings for the Arabic Amīr (أمير), the literal meaning of the phrase Amīr al-Baḥr (أمير البحر) is “Prince of the Sea.” This position, versus “commander of the sea,” is demonstrated by legal practices prevailing in the
Ottoman Empire, whereas it was only possible for
Phanariots to qualify for attaining four princely positions, those being
grand dragoman
The Dragoman of the Sublime Porte ( Ottoman Turkish: ; el, έγαςδιερμηνέας της Υψηλής Πύλης), Dragoman of the Imperial Council (''tercümân-ı dîvân-ı hümâyûn''), or simply Grand or Chief Dragoman (''tercümân ...
,
dragoman of the fleet, and the
voivodees of
Moldavia and
Wallachia. Those Phanariots who attained the princely position of dragoman of the fleet served under the Ottoman admiral having administration of the
Aegean islands and the Anatolian coast.
Modern acknowledgement of the phrase Amīr al-Baḥr (أمير البحر) meaning “Prince of the Sea” includes a speech made in an official
U.S. military
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...
ceremony conducted in an Arabic port, and a news article published by an Arabic news outlet: On 24 May 2012, in a
change of command ceremony aboard
aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
USS Enterprise (CVN 65)
USS ''Enterprise'' (CVN-65), formerly CVA(N)-65, is a decommissioned United States Navy aircraft carrier. She was the first Nuclear marine propulsion, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the eighth United States naval vessel to bear List of s ...
, while docked at Khalifa Bin Salman Port,
Bahrain,
U.S. Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through comb ...
Gen.
James Mattis, Commander,
U.S. Central Command, introduced
Vice Admiral Mark I. Fox as “Admiral Fox, the prince of the sea, emir of the sea – to translate ‘admiral’ from the Arabic to English;” On 04 Feb 2021, in an announcement of his
coronavirus
Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the com ...
-related death, the Arabic news website Saudi 24 News referred to Admiral Edmond Chagoury by the title “Prince of the Sea.”
An alternate etymology proposes that the term admiral evolved, instead, from the title of
Amīr al-Umarāʾ (أمير الأمراء). Under the reign of the
Buyid dynasty (934 to 1062) of
Iraq and
Iran, the title of Amīr al-Umarāʾ, which means prince of princes,
came to denote the
heir-apparent, or
crown prince.
This alternate etymology states that the term was in use for the
Greco-Arab naval leaders of
Norman Sicily, which had formerly been ruled by Arabs, at least by the early 11th century. During this time, the Norman
Roger II of Sicily
Roger II ( it, Ruggero II; 22 December 1095 – 26 February 1154) was King of Sicily and Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily
Roger I ( it, Ruggero I, Arabic: ''رُجار'', ''Rujār''; Maltese: ''Ruġġieru'', – 22 June 1101), nicknamed Rog ...
(1095–1154) employed a Greek Christian, known as
George of Antioch
George of Antioch ( gr, Γεώργιος Ἀντιοχείας, died 1151 or 1152) was the first to hold the office of '' ammiratus ammiratorum'' (emir of emirs) in the Norman Kingdom of Sicily. He was a Syrian-born Byzantine Christian of Gree ...
, who previously had served as a naval commander for several North African Muslim rulers. Roger styled George in
Abbasid fashion as , or Amīr al-Umarāʾ, with the title becoming Latinized in the 13th century as .
The
Sicilians and later
Genoese
Genoese may refer to:
* a person from Genoa
* Genoese dialect, a dialect of the Ligurian language
* Republic of Genoa (–1805), a former state in Liguria
See also
* Genovese, a surname
* Genovesi, a surname
*
*
*
*
* Genova (disambiguati ...
took the first two parts of the term and used them as one word, , from their
Aragon
Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...
opponents. The
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
and
Spanish gave their sea commanders similar titles while in
Portuguese the word changed to . As the word was used by people speaking
Latin or Latin-based languages it gained the "d" and endured a series of different endings and spellings leading to the English spelling in the 14th century and to ''admiral'' by the 16th century.
Further history
The word "admiral" has come to be almost exclusively associated with the highest
naval rank in most of the world's
navies
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It include ...
, equivalent to the army rank of
general. However, this was not always the case; for example, in some European countries prior to the end of
World War II, admiral was the third highest naval rank after
general admiral and
grand admiral.
The rank of admiral has also been subdivided into various grades, several of which are historically extinct while others remain in use in most present-day navies. The
Royal Navy used the colours red, white, and blue, in descending order to indicate
seniority of its admirals until 1864; for example,
Horatio Nelson
Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...
's highest rank was vice-admiral of the white. The generic term for these naval equivalents of army generals is
flag officer. Some navies have also used army-type titles for them, such as the
Cromwellian "general at sea".
NATO code
While the rank of admiral is used in most of NATO countries, it is ranked differently depending on the country.
Admiral insignia by country
File:Generic-Navy-12.svg,
Albanian Navy
Argentine Navy
The Argentine Navy (ARA; es, Armada de la República Argentina). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the ...
Royal Australian Navy
Azerbaijani Navy
Bangladesh Navy
Belgian Navy
File:Generic-Navy-(star)-O11.svg,
Bolivian Naval Force
The Bolivian Navy ( es, Armada Boliviana) is a branch of the Armed Forces of Bolivia. As of 2008, the Bolivian Navy had approximately 5,000 personnel. Although Bolivia has been landlocked since the War of the Pacific and its 1904 peace treaty, Bo ...
File:Generic-Navy-13.svg,
Brazilian Navy
Bulgarian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
Chilean Navy
Colombian Navy
File:18.DRCN-VADM.svg,
Navy of DR of Congo
File:Rukav zimske odore admirala HRM.svg,
Croatian Navy
Cuban Revolutionary Navy
Royal Danish Navy
Dominican Navy
Ecuadorian Navy
The Ecuadorian Navy ( es, Armada del Ecuador) is an Ecuadorian entity responsible for the surveillance and protection of national maritime territory and has a personnel of 9,127 men to protect a coastline of 2,237 km which reaches far into t ...
File:Generic-Navy-12.svg,
Estonian Navy
)
Finnish Navy
French Navy
Gabonese Navy
File:Generic-Navy-(star)-O11.svg,
German Navy
Ghana Navy
File:Generic-Navy-12.svg, Admiral
Indian Navy
Italian Navy
"Fatherland and Honour"
, patron =
, colors =
, colors_label =
, march = ( is the return of soldiers to their barrack, or sailors to their ship after a ...
File:Ivory Coast-Navy-OF-9.svg,
Navy of Ivory Coast
Kazakh Naval Forces
Madagascar Navy
Mexican Navy
Montenegrin Navy
The Montenegrin Navy ( Montenegrin: ''Mornarica Vojske Crne Gore'') is the naval branch of the military of Montenegro.
The Montenegrin Navy was established in 2006 following the secession of Montenegro from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegr ...
File:Morocco-Navy-OF-9.svg,
Royal Moroccan Navy
File:Mozambique-Navy-OF-9.svg,
Mozambique Naval Command
File:Generic-Navy-12.svg, Admiral
Nigerian Navy
File:Generic-Navy-12.svg,
Royal Norwegian Navy
Pakistan Navy
ur, ہمارے لیے اللّٰہ کافی ہے اور وہ بہترین کارساز ہے۔ English language, English: Allah is Sufficient for us - and what an excellent (reliable) Trustee (of affairs) is He!(''Quran, Qur'an, Al Imran, 3:173' ...
File:Generic-Navy-(star)-O12.svg,
Paraguayan Navy
File:Peru-Navy-OF-9.svg,
Peruvian Navy
The Peruvian Navy ( es, link=no, Marina de Guerra del Perú, abbreviated MGP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to from the Peruvian littoral. Addit ...
Philippine Navy
The Philippine Navy (PN) ( tgl, Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, , Sea Army of the Philippines) ( es, Armada de Filipinas, , Ejército del Mar de las Filipinas) is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an e ...
File:Poland-Navy-OF-9.svg,
Polish Navy
Portuguese Navy
Romanian Naval Forces
Russian Navy
File:18-Serbian Navy-ADM.svg,
Serbian River Flotilla
The Serbian River Flotilla ( sr, Речна флотила, Rečna flotila) is a tactical brigade-level brown water naval branch of the Serbian Armed Forces. Patroling on the Danube, Sava, and Tisa rivers, it is tasked with environmental polici ...
Slovenian Navy
The Slovenian Navy, officially the 430th Naval Division is not a separate service, but an integral part of the Slovenian Armed Forces.
History
The Slovenian navy was created after independence in 1991, as the Territorial Defense Forces of Sloveni ...
South African Navy
The South African Navy (SA Navy) is the naval warfare branch of the South African National Defence Force.
The Navy is primarily engaged in maintaining a conventional military deterrent, participating in counter-piracy operations, fishery prot ...
Spanish Navy
Sri Lanka Navy
Swedish Navy
The Swedish Navy ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps ().
In Swedish, vessels o ...
)
Tunisia Navy
File:Russia-Navy-OF-8-1994-everyday.svg,
Turkmen Naval Forces
Ukrainian Navy
Royal Navy
United States Navy
United States Coast Guard
National Navy of Uruguay
Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela
National ranks
*
Admiral (Australia)
Admiral (abbreviated as ADML) is the highest active rank of the Royal Australian Navy and was created as a direct equivalent of the British naval rank of admiral. It is a four-star rank. Since 1968, generally the only time the rank is held is ...
*
Admiral (Bangladesh)
*
Admiral (Canada)
*
Admiral (Denmark)
is the highest rank of the Royal Danish Navy. As a four-star rank it is the equivalent to the rank of general in the Royal Danish Army and Air force.
The rank is rated OF-9 within NATO. It has the grade of M406 within the Ministry of Defence's ...
*
Admiral (Germany)
*
Admiral (India)
*
Admiral (Netherlands)
*
Admiral (Pakistan)
*
Admiral (Russia)
*
Admiral of Castile
*
Admiral (Sri Lanka)
*
Admiral (Sweden)
*
Admiral (United Kingdom)
*
Admiral (United States)
See also
*
Admiralissimo
*
Admiralty
*
Comparative military ranks
*
Isabel Barreto, the first female admiral
*
Laksamana
The Laksamana ( Jawi: ) is a position within the armed forces, similar to the position of admiral in Malay sultanates and in present-day countries like Indonesia and Malaysia. Since South East Asia was part of Indosphere of Greater India since earl ...
, native title for naval leaders in
Indonesia and
Malaysia
*
Nebraska Admiral
*
Ranks and insignia of NATO navies' officers
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Naval ranks