[ad.mi.ral] n [ME, fr. MF amiral admiral & ML admiralis emir, admirallus admiral, fr. Ar amir-al- commander of the (as in amir-al-bahr commander of the sea)] (15c) 1 archaic: the commander in chief of a navy
2. a: flag officer b: a commissioned officer in the navy or coast guard who ranks above a vice admiral and whose insignia is four stars--compare general 3 archaic: flagship
4: any of several brightly colored butterflies (family Nymphalidae)