the.com/lieutenant
the deputy who outranks the spelling, since nobody agrees how to say it.
means A military or civil officer who acts as a deputy, ranking just below the officer they assist or substitute for.
from From Old French 'lieu tenant' — literally 'place-holding,' from 'lieu' (place) and 'tenant' (holding), since the lieutenant holds a superior's place in their absence. English borrowed it in the 14th century. The famous British pronunciation 'leftenant' is a genuine puzzle: one theory holds that the medieval 'u' was sometimes read as a 'v' or 'f' sound, but its true origin is uncertain — Americans simply say 'loo-tenant,' closer to the French.
- british mystery
- Brits say lef-tenant despite no F anywhere
- literal job
- French for place-holder, standing in for superiors
- naval clash
- Royal Navy says le-tenant, breaking from the army
- thin bars
- US second lieutenants nicknamed butterbars for gold insignia
- old spelling
- Medieval texts wrote lieftenant, hinting at the F