Commodore

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkɔ.mə.doɹ/

Definitions

1. A naval rank above captain and below rear admiral, or the president of a yacht club
2. A high-ranking naval officer positioned between captain and rear admiral, or the elected leader of a yacht or boat club
3. An officer commanding a naval squadron or fleet unit, alternatively the senior official presiding over a sailing club

Etymology: The word "commodore" is a close cousin of "command" that arrived in English by a roundabout route through the Netherlands. Its ancestor is Old French "comandeor," which grew from the Latin verb "commandare," the same root that gave us "command." Middle French turned it into "commandeur," meaning a leader or commander, and that form was borrowed into Dutch as "kommandeur," an officer in charge of a military unit. English speakers then adopted that Dutch form, and the spelling shifted to "commodore" as it was pronounced in English. The rank's original sense was tied to specific ships and fleets rather than to a fixed level in a chain of command. It was used for the officer leading a group of vessels, a title that did not describe a permanent rank. Over time it settled into the position of a naval officer above captain and below rear admiral, while the same title also came to name the president of a yacht club.

Synonyms: captain, leader, commander