Noncom

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An enlisted member of the armed forces who holds rank through promotion and leads soldiers without a commission from the sovereign or state
2. A military leader promoted from the ranks, such as a sergeant or corporal, who supervises troops but holds no officer's commission
3. Someone who has risen through the enlisted ranks to a position of authority over other soldiers, without receiving a formal officer's commission

Etymology: "Noncom" is a clipped form of "non-commissioned officer," the rank held by enlisted soldiers who have been given authority over others without receiving a commission as an officer. The full phrase is built from "non-," a prefix meaning "not," and "commissioned," from "commission," a formal warrant granting officer rank. The officer in question is therefore defined by what he lacks: the royal or national commission that marks a commissioned officer. The shortened form follows the common military habit of trimming long rank titles in everyday speech, so that "noncom" became the usual barracks term while the full phrase stayed on paperwork. Because the word names a rank rather than a kind of job, it is used almost exclusively in military contexts, where it is understood to mean a soldier who has been promoted from the ranks but still sits below the officers.

Synonyms: NCO

Antonyms: commissioned officer