aide-de-camp
Americannoun
plural
aides-de-campnoun
Etymology
Origin of aide-de-camp
1660–70; < French: literally, camp helper; see aid, de, camp 1
Explanation
An aide-de-camp is a military officer who assists another officer with more seniority. An aide-de-camp is a military assistant. Many English words come from the military, and many others come from French. This word comes from both, as it's a French term for a military assistant. Just like assistants in other fields, the aide-de-camp will provide the senior officer with whatever is needed. This term also gets a fair amount of work as a general term for an assistant to a powerful person in any organization. Any supervisor or leader may have an aide-de-camp who helps them out.
Vocabulary lists containing aide-de-camp
All the Light We Cannot See
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
French Terms Used in English
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Anna Karenina
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The unnamed narrator of “The Sympathizer” is a veteran of two armies: the North Vietnamese whom he served as spy and the South Vietnamese whose uniform he wore as aide-de-camp to a high-ranking general.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025
They were called to testify at Police headquarters in Brasilia, along with Bolsonaro's former aide-de-camp Mauro Cid, his father, a retired army general, and another military officer that was a presidential aide.
From Reuters • Aug. 31, 2023
He was aide-de-camp to the ousted leader's father, Omar Bongo, who ruled for almost 42 years until his death in 2009.
From BBC • Aug. 30, 2023
Two years later, the prince was promoted to a lieutenant position and served as the Queen's personal aide-de-camp.
From Salon • Oct. 8, 2022
It was a foregone conclusion that Washington would be called out of retirement to head the force, but equally predictable that the aging general would delegate actual command to his former aide-de-camp.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
