Definition of "lieutenant" []

• A commissioned rank in the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard that is above lieutenant junior grade and below lieutenant commander. (noun)
• A first lieutenant. (noun)
• A second lieutenant. (noun)
• One who holds the rank of lieutenant, first lieutenant, or second lieutenant. (noun)
• A commissioned officer in the British and Canadian navies ranking just below a lieutenant commander. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "In 1862 ensign was provided in the Navy to correspond to second lieutenant; and the term lieutenant commanding became lieutenant commander."
• "Simpson and Schnabel were "assistants" in the way a lieutenant is an "assistant" to a colonel."
• "In a way, the lieutenant is an extension of the king's self."