Definition

Noun: A commissioned officer in the United States Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps holding the lowest rank. This rank is the entry-level position for commissioned officers, typically held immediately after completing officer training.

Usage

The term "2nd lieutenant" is used to specify the junior-most commissioned officer rank. It is often abbreviated as "2LT". The rank denotes a leadership position, usually involving the command of a platoon-sized element.

Examples

• Upon graduation from the academy, she was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant.
• The 2nd lieutenant led the platoon during the training exercise.
• He received his first assignment after being promoted to 2nd lieutenant.

Advanced Usage

• "to pin on the gold bar": A colloquial expression referring to the ceremony where a new officer receives the rank insignia (a single gold bar) of a 2nd lieutenant.
  • After four years of ROTC, it was finally time to pin on the gold bar.

Variants and Related Words

• Second Lieutenant: The full, unabbreviated form of the rank.
• Lieutenant: A higher officer rank. A 2nd lieutenant is junior to a first lieutenant.
• O-1: The pay grade designation for a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. military.
• Butterbar: (Military Slang) A sometimes derogatory slang term for a 2nd lieutenant, referring to the gold bar insignia and implying inexperience.

Synonyms

• Subaltern: (Chiefly British) A term for a junior army officer, equivalent to a lieutenant.
• Ensign: The equivalent entry-level commissioned officer rank in the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard.

Related Phrases

• "Shavetail": (Historical/U.S. Slang) An old, informal term for a newly commissioned 2nd lieutenant, often implying greenness or lack of experience.

Noun

1. a commissioned officer in the Army or Air Force or Marine Corps holding the lowest rank