leftenant

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UK/lɛfˈtɛn.ənt/India/ˈlef.ʈe.nenʈ/India/ˈlef.ʈɪ.nenʈ/

A form of lieutenant — In the US Army, Air Force and Marines, holding the rank above second lieutenant and below captain. Both ranks may be referred to as "lieutenant" or as the complete forms of the ranks.

Scrabble 12
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Meanings

nounleftenant (plural leftenants)

plural leftenants

  1. archaicArchaic form of lieutenant.

    He is said to be a leftenant. Of the police force. A leftenant.

    1909, William N. Famous, Colonel Crook Stories, page 3
  2. misspellingMisspelling of lieutenant.

Origin

Phonetic rendering of lieutenant (UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, US (archaic))

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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