cadet

¹

[ kuh-det ]

noun

1. a student in a national service academy or private military school or on a training ship.
2. a student in training for service as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, Air Force, or Coast Guard. Compare midshipman ( def 1 ).
3. a trainee in a business or profession.
4. a younger son or brother.
5. the youngest son.
6. (formerly) a gentleman, usually a younger son, who entered the army to prepare for a subsequent commission.
7. Also called cadet blue. a grayish to strong blue color.
8. Also called cadet gray. a bluish-gray to purplish-blue color.
9. Slang. a pimp.

Cadet

²

[ kuh-det ]

noun

, Russian History.

1. a member of the former Constitutional Democratic Party.

cadet

/ kəˈdɛt /

noun

1. a young person undergoing preliminary training, usually before full entry to the uniformed services, police, etc, esp for officer status
2. a school pupil receiving elementary military training in a school corps
3. (in England and in France before 1789) a gentleman, usually a younger son, who entered the army to prepare for a commission
4. a younger son or brother
5. cadet branch
   the family or family branch of a younger son
6. (in New Zealand) a person learning sheep farming on a sheep station

Derived Forms

• caˈdetship, noun

Other Words From

• ca·det·ship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cadet¹

1600–10; < French < Gascon capdet chief, captain (referring to the younger sons of noble families); compare Old Provençal capdel headman < Latin capitellum literally, small head; capital ²

Origin of cadet²

< Russian kadét, equivalent to ka + de (the letter names of k, d, representing konstitutsiónnyĭ demokrát Constitutional Democrat) + -t from kadét (now obsolete) cadet

Word History and Origins

Origin of cadet¹

C17: from French, from dialect (Gascon) capdet captain, ultimately from Latin caput head

Example Sentences

I recall marching down Fifth Avenue in 1968 in a Veterans Day parade wearing my cadet dress uniform.

From Salon

Valeriya Baderdinova, an air cadet who is originally from Ukraine, was also surprised to find so many Canadian graves here.

From BBC

Air cadet Oliver Irwin from Omagh said: “When you see a Canadian person who’s died here you think ‘what happened?’, you want to learn their story.”

From BBC

Jacob Woods, an army cadet from Enniskillen, did not realise so many airmen who served in Northern Ireland came from Canada.

From BBC

Air cadet Torin Aleksanderek from Poland was taking part in a remembrance service for the first time.

From BBC

Related Words

• student
• youth