sergeant
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sergeant¹
- /ˈsɑː.d͡ʒənt/ UK
- /ˈsɑɹ.d͡ʒənt/ US
- /ˈsɑɹ(ə)nt/ US
Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)dʒənt, -ɑː(ɹ)nt
Where it comes from
From Middle English sergeant, sergeaunt, serjent, serjaunt, serjawnt, sergant, from Old French sergeant, sergent, serjant, sergient, sergant (“sergeant, servant”), from Medieval Latin servientem, accusative of serviēns (“a servant, vassal, soldier, apparitor”), from Latin serviēns (“serving”), present participle of serviō (“serve, be a slave to”). Doublet of servant and servient.
The shift from /vj/ > /dʒ/ was a regular development in Old French. Compare cavea > cage, salvia > sage.
The fish is so called because of its stripes, supposed to resemble a sergeant's insignia of rank.
The pronunciation with /ɑɹ/ is due to a widespread development of Middle English er + consonant (see barn, start etc.). In sergeant, the spelling was standardised in one way, the pronunciation in another (compare clerk, derby in Commonwealth English, further parson vs. person, and varsity vs. university).
noun sergeants · serjant · sergeaunt · serjeant
- A UK army rank with NATO code OR-6, senior to corporal and junior to warrant officer ranks.
- The highest rank of noncommissioned officer in some non-naval military forces and police. “Yes, there are two distinct sets of footprints, both wearing rubber shoes—one I think ordinary plimsolls, the other goloshes,” replied the sergeant.
- A lawyer of the highest rank, equivalent to the doctor of civil law. All other sergeants and barristers indiscriminately (except in the Court of Common Pleas, where only sergeants are admitted) may take upon them the protection and defense of any suitors.
- A title sometimes given to the servants of the sovereign. sergeant surgeon, i.e. a servant, or attendant, surgeon
- A bailiff.
- A servant in monastic offices.
- A fish, the píntano (Abudefduf saxatilis), a species of damselfish.
- Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Athyma; distinct from the false sergeants.
Sergeant²
Where it comes from
From sergeant.
noun Sergeants
- The title of a sergeant, added before their name.
proper noun
- A surname originating as an occupation for a servant.
- A township in McKean County, Pennsylvania, United States.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: serjeant, police sergeant, sergeant-at-law, serjeant-at-law, lieutenant, brigadier, soldier, sgt, constable, sarge, adjutant, officer, detective, marshal, chief, inspector
Translations
Every language
noun noncommissioned officer rank
| Español | sargento |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 중사 jungsa |
| 日本語 | 軍曹 gunsō |
| 中文 | 軍士 /军士 jūnshì, 警官 jǐngguān, 警長 /警长 jǐngzhǎng |
| हिन्दी | सार्जण्ट sārjaṇṭ, हवलदार havaldār, सारजंट sārjaṇṭ, सार्जंट sārjaṇṭ, हवालदार havāldār, जमादार jamādār |
| Kiswahili | sajini |
| Português | sargento |
| Français | sergent |
| Deutsch | Stabsunteroffizier, Feldwebel |
| Italiano | sergente |
| Ελληνικά | λοχίας lochías, αρχιφύλακας archifýlakas |
| Română | sergent |
| Русский | сержа́нт seržánt |
| Tiếng Việt | trung sĩ |
| العربية | رَقِيب raqīb, عَرِيف ʕarīf |
| עברית | סָמַל samál |
Talk about this word "sergeant." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sergeant. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. sergeant. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sergeant "sergeant." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sergeant.Cite this
@misc{sergeant_2026,
title = {sergeant},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sergeant},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
