What does midshipmen mean?
Midshipmen are junior naval officers who are beginning their careers at sea. In the British, Commonwealth, and Irish navies, a midshipman is a commissioned officer undergoing practical training, traditionally responsible for serving as officer of the watch and learning the duties of command at sea. Their status is more senior than that of a cadet or ordinary seaman but less senior than that of a lieutenant. In the United States, midshipmen are students at the United States Naval Academy who train toward becoming commissioned officers. The word belongs to formal naval usage and is associated with discipline, seamanship, adventure, and early stages of a naval career. In stories and memoirs, it can also evoke the physical experience of a junior officer learning to navigate, organize a watch, and assume responsibility aboard a ship.
plural nounPlural of midshipman: commissioned junior officers in British and Commonwealth navies who begin their careers at sea under supervision. In the United States, the term usually denotes students training at the United States Naval Academy.
- Junior commissioned officers in British and Commonwealth navies who undertake initial sea training and serve under supervision.
- Students training at the United States Naval Academy, who are commonly called midshipmen rather than cadets.
"The two midshipmen took command of the watch while the captain was resting."
"Midshipmen from several Commonwealth navies attended the joint maritime exercise."
"At the academy, the midshipmen practiced navigation and seamanship on the training ship."
The standard plural of midshipman, with the internal -man changing to -men.
"Several midshipmen joined the ship for its first voyage."
The “mid” in midshipman originally referred to a sailor serving amidships, before the word came to denote a junior naval officer.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does midshipmen come from?
The word dates from the 16th century and combines mid, ship, and man. It originally referred to a sailor serving amidships, then developed into a designation for a junior naval officer. Its elements also underlie related compounds such as shipmate, while man remains the same ultimate source found in many occupational and institutional terms.
Related word forms
How midshipmen is actually used
The term has different institutional meanings in the United States and the United Kingdom. In the US Navy it identifies a Naval Academy student, while in the British and Commonwealth navies it denotes a junior commissioned officer with a formal rank.
Easily confused with midshipmen
A midshipman is a junior officer undergoing early naval training, whereas an ensign is the lowest commissioned-officer rank in several navies.