Lieutenant
A lieutenant (UK: /lɛfˈtɛnənt/ lef-TEN-ənt, US: /luː-/ loo-;[1] abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, security services and police forces.
Not to be confused with Leutnant, the germanic language variant.
The rank in armies and air forces is often subdivided into multiple subcategories of seniority. In English-speaking navies, lieutenants are often equivalent to the army rank of captain; in other navies, the lieutenants are usually equal to their army counterparts.
Lieutenant may also appear as part of a title used in various other organisations with a codified command structure. It often designates someone who is "second-in-command", and as such, may precede the name of the rank directly above it. For example, a "lieutenant master" is likely to be second-in-command to the "master" in an organisation using both ranks.
Political uses include lieutenant governor in various governments, such as the viceregal representatives of the Crown in Canadian provinces. In the United Kingdom, a lord lieutenant is the sovereign's representative in a county or lieutenancy area, while a deputy lieutenant is one of the lord lieutenant's deputies.
Military rank[edit]
Lieutenant[edit]
The senior grade of lieutenant is known as first lieutenant in the United States, and as lieutenant in the United Kingdom and the rest of the English-speaking world. In countries that do not speak English, the rank title usually translates as "lieutenant", but may also translate as "first lieutenant" or "senior lieutenant". The Israel Defense Forces rank segen (סגן) literally translates as "deputy", which is equivalent to a lieutenant. In the Finnish military there is a senior lieutenant grade that ranks above lieutenant and second lieutenant but below captain; it does not have an English equivalent. In Germany it is called Oberleutnant (senior lieutenant).
