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cadet

[ kuh-det ]
/ kəˈdɛt /
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noun
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Origin of cadet

1600–10; <French <Gascon capdet chief, captain (referring to the younger sons of noble families); compare Old Provençal capdel headman <Latin capitellum literally, small head; see capital2

OTHER WORDS FROM cadet

ca·det·ship, noun

Other definitions for cadet (2 of 2)

Cadet
[ kuh-det ]
/ kəˈdɛt /

noun Russian History.
a member of the former Constitutional Democratic Party.

Origin of Cadet

<Russian kadét, equivalent to ka + de (the letter names of k, d, representing konstitutsiónnyĭ demokrát Constitutional Democrat) + -t from kadét (now obsolete) cadet
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cadet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cadet

cadet
/ (kəˈdɛt) /

noun
a young person undergoing preliminary training, usually before full entry to the uniformed services, police, etc, esp for officer status
a school pupil receiving elementary military training in a school corps
(in England and in France before 1789) a gentleman, usually a younger son, who entered the army to prepare for a commission
a younger son or brother
cadet branch the family or family branch of a younger son
(in New Zealand) a person learning sheep farming on a sheep station

Derived forms of cadet

cadetship, noun

Word Origin for cadet

C17: from French, from dialect (Gascon) capdet captain, ultimately from Latin caput head
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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