n.
- The commander in chief of a fleet.
- A flag officer.
- (Abbr. ADM or Adm.) A commissioned rank in the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard that is above vice admiral and below Admiral of the Fleet.
- One who holds the rank of admiral, Admiral of the Fleet, rear admiral, or vice admiral.
- Any of various brightly colored butterflies of the genera Limenitis and Vanessa.
- Archaic. The ship carrying an admiral; flagship.
[Middle English amiral, admiral, from Old French and from Medieval Latin amīrālis, admīrālis, both from Arabic 'amīr al- ..., commander of the ... : 'amīr, commander + al-, the.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
