alferes

A1L1F4E1R1E1S1
/ælˈfɛɹɪs/

noun

An ensign; a standard-bearer.

OriginPortuguese alferes ← Spanish alférez ← Arabic الفَارِس →
Scrabble 10
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Meanings

nounalferes (plural alferes)
  1. obsoleteAn ensign; a standard-bearer.

    Is not this my Alferes? he looks another thing

    1624 (first performance), John Fletcher, “Rule a Wife, and Have a Wife”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1679, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)

Origin

  1. Arabicالفَارِس“the knight”
  2. Spanishalférez
  3. Portuguesealferes
  4. Englishalferes

From Portuguese alferes, Spanish alférez, from Arabic الفَارِس (al-fāris, “the knight”), influenced in meaning by Latin aquilifer (“standard-bearer”).

More words from Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

alferes. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alferes

MLA

“alferes.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alferes. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “alferes,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alferes.

Source: alferes on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.