Admiral

Admiral is a word from the Arabic term Amir-al-bahr (commander of the sea). Crusaders learned the term during their encounters with the Arabs, perhaps as early as the 11th century. The Sicilians and later Genoese took the first two parts of the term and used them as one word, amiral. The French and Spanish gave their sea commanders similar titles. 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 "admyrall" in the 14th century and to "admiral" by the 16th century.

Related Topics:
Arabic - Crusade - Arab - 11th century - Sicilians - Genoese - French - Spanish - Latin - 14th century - 16th century

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The word Admiral has today come to be almost exclusively associated with the highest naval rank in most of the world's navies, equivalent to the rank of General. The rank of Admiral has also been subdivided into various grades, several of which are historically extinct while others are used by most present day navies.

Related Topics:
Naval rank - General

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