adjutant

Probably partly from Spanish ayudante and partly Portuguese ajudante (“assistant, helper, aide”), use as nouns of adjectives from the present participles of Spanish ayudar and Portuguese ajudar, respectively, from Latin adiūtō (“to help, assist”), with remodeling after Latin adiūtāns, present participle of adiūtō, from adiuvō (“to help, assist”) + -tō (frequentative suffix).^[1]

• enPR: ă'-jə-tənt IPA^(key): /ˈæ.d͡ʒə.tənt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

adjutant (plural adjutants)

1. (military) A lower-ranking officer who assists a higher-ranking officer with administrative affairs. [from 1641]^[1]
2. An assistant. [from 1622]^[1]
3. (zoology) Either of two species of stork of the genus Leptoptilos, family Ciconiidae, native to India and Southeast Asia. [from 1798]^[1]
   • 1876, "Burmah" in the Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. IV, p. 552:

     Aquatic birds of various kinds are very numerous, such as geese, darters (Plotus melanogaster), scissor-bills (Rhynchops nigra), adjutants (Leptoptilos argala), pelicans, cormorants, cranes (Grus antigone, in Burmese gyoja), whimbrels, plovers, and ibises.

• (bird): adjutant bird

• greater adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius); lesser adjutant (L. javanicus); marabou (L. crumeniferus)

adjutant (not comparable)

1. Assistant; who helps a higher-ranking officer. [from 1645]^[1]

   adjutant officer

• adj.
• adjt.

• adjuvant
• aid

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

adjutant m (plural adjutants, feminine adjutante)

1. (military) warrant officer class 1, warrant officer

adjutant m pers

1. Pre-1936 spelling of adiutant.

Borrowed from French adjudant.

adjutant m (plural adjutanți)

1. adjutant

adjutant c

1. (military) an adjutant