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ONADcadet

cadet

Flag: gbEnglishOxford New American Dictionary

cadet /kəˈdet, kəˈdɛt /
noun
1 a young trainee in the armed services or police force:
an air force cadet.
a student in training at a military school.
2 formal or archaic a younger son or daughter:
a cadet of the family of the Earls of Rosse.
[usually as modifier] a junior branch of a family:
a cadet branch of the family.
– DERIVATIVES
cadetship /kəˈdetˌSHip, kəˈdɛtˌʃɪp / noun
– ORIGIN early 17th century (in cadet (SENSE 2)): from French, from Gascon dialect capdet, a diminutive based on Latin caput head. The notion ‘little head’ or ‘inferior head’ gave rise to that of younger, junior.