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Added 9 October 2026

sergeant

/ˈsɑː.d͡ʒənt/ noun

Latin root: servientem Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about sergeant at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

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.
A lawyer of the highest rank, equivalent to the doctor of civil law.

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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