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LIEUTENANT

/lɛfˈtɛn.ənt/10 letters

Definition of LIEUTENANT

noun

The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines. 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. A naval officer whose rank is above that of ensign in the United States Navy and below that of a lieutenant commander. There are two ranks of lieutenant: lieutenant junior grade and lieutenant. A commissioned officer in the United States Coast Guard, Public Health Service, or National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration whose rank is above that of ensign and below lieutenant commander. There are two ranks of lieutenant: lieutenant junior grade and lieutenant. A commissioned officer in the British Army and Royal Marines, holding the rank above second lieutenant and below captain. Both ranks may be referred to as "lieutenant"; however, "second lieutenant" is to specify that the officer is not yet a full lieutenant. A naval officer whose rank is above that of sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navy and below that of a lieutenant commander. A naval commissioned officer who holds the rank above sub-lieutenant and below lieutenant commander.

Wiktionary · CC BY-SA

Where it comes from

From Middle English lieutenant, lieftenaunt, from Anglo-Norman lieutenant, lyutenaunt, leu tenant, leu tenaunt (“deputy, lieutenant”), from Old French lieu (“place”) + tenant (“holder”). Doublet of locum tenens and stadtholder.

Etymology via Wiktionary (CC BY-SA).

Word DNA

Line of descent

  1. Old French
  2. Anglo-Norman
  3. Middle English
  4. English

3 recorded generations before English.

Old French

Deepest traced root

9th

of 59 source languages in OUTLIER

2.9%

of traced words share this origin (2,506)

Romance

branch · 12.8% of traced words

How it is built

noun3 syllablescompound

Same root, LIEUTENANT · 1 relative in the game

Every Old French word → · The Word DNA of OUTLIER →

Rarity score
Withheld
Revealed only in play
Tier
Withheld
Find it yourself

OUTLIER scores every word on how unusual it is, and that number is not published. Working it out at the board is the game.

LIEUTENANT in OUTLIER

Players have found it on 1 board so far.

Day 1Day 175
Its one board, across 175 finished boards · taller bars are busier boards
1
Boards found on
167
First board
8
Days since seen

It first turned up on Day 167, 3 November 2026. Nobody has seen it on a board for 8 days.

First ever to find it

elijahalves

on Day 167, 3 November 2026 - before anyone else in Outlier's history. See the Pioneers

Built from these letters

LIEUTENANT
10
Letters
5
Vowels
5
Consonants
7
Different letters
2
Longest consonant run
3
Longest vowel run

LIEUTENANT starts with L and ends with T. Sorted, its letters read AEEILNNTTU - the shape to hunt for when the grid is scrambled. E, T and N appear more than once.

Words that start LIEUTE

Its neighbours in the OUTLIER dictionary - shortest first.

LIEUTENANCYLIEUTENANTSLIEUTENANCIES

Could you have found LIEUTENANT?

OUTLIER is a daily word game. One grid, the same grid for everybody, and the words nobody else spots are the ones that pay. This word was on Day 167 - and most players walked straight past it.

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