(ˈ)mid|shipmən noun
( plural midshipmen )
1.
a. : a naval cadet in old-time deep-waisted ships of war
b. : a commissioned officer of the lowest rank in the British navy formerly completing training at sea but now undergoing a final period of shore training
c. : a student naval officer ranking above a master chief petty officer and below a warrant officer and originally educated principally at sea but since 1845 usually at the Naval Academy or other college or university — see naval cadet
d. : a student officer of any nation who is comparable to a British or American midshipman
2. : any of several American toadfishes that constitute the genus Porichthys and have rows of luminous organs on the under surface ; especially : a common fish ( P. notatus ) of the Pacific coast from Lower California to Puget Sound that is coppery brown above shading to bright yellow below and that produces a humming sound with its air bladder — called also singing fish