quartermaster

American  

[kwawr-ter-mas-ter, -mah-ster] / ˈkwɔr tərˌmæs tər, -ˌmɑ stər /

noun

1. Military. an officer charged with providing quarters, clothing, fuel, transportation, etc., for a body of troops.

2. Navy. a petty officer having charge of signals, navigating apparatus, etc.

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quartermaster British  

/ ˈkwɔːtəˌmɑːstə /

noun

1. an officer responsible for accommodation, food, and equipment in a military unit

2. a rating in the navy, usually a petty officer, with particular responsibility for steering a ship and other navigational duties

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Other Word Forms

• quartermasterlike adjective
• quartermastership noun

Etymology

Origin of quartermaster

First recorded in 1400–50, quartermaster is from late Middle English quarter maister. See quarter, master

Explanation

A quartermaster is a soldier whose job is to hand out supplies — like food and clothes — to army troops. Sometimes the quartermaster is an individual, and other times it's a whole military unit. The quartermaster has an important job. While historically an army's quartermaster distributed uniforms and other clothing, today this officer might also procure food and other supplies. In the US Navy, a quartermaster obtains and takes care of nautical charts, and in the Boy Scouts, the quartermaster maintains camping supplies. The word has been in use since the fifteenth century, from the French quartier-maître, and it originally meant an officer on a ship who stowed goods in the ship's hold.

Example Sentences

Munir became army chief in November 2022 after serving in senior positions including as quartermaster general and Corps Commander Gujranwala.

From Barron's • Nov. 14, 2025

Some were also colleagues and friends of Winfield Scott Hancock, who as quartermaster was charged with protecting Union armaments in Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2024

Francis Scott Key was believed to be near the site of the future bridge in 1814 when he observed the British bombardment of Fort McHenry, where he served as quartermaster, during the War of 1812.

From New York Times • Mar. 26, 2024

The auctioneers said this hat comes with impeccable provenance, remaining throughout the 19th Century in the same family of the quartermaster of Napoleon's palace.

From BBC • Nov. 18, 2023

Toward lunchtime, Werfel finished his work, and the quartermaster gave him two sticky slices of venison-pickle jelly, one splopped in each hand.

From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin