admiralissimon.
/ˌadm(ə)rəˈlɪsᵻməʊ/, /ˌadm(ə)rlˈɪsᵻməʊ/, U.S. /ˌædm(ə)rəˈlɪsəˌmoʊ/ (A title held by) a supreme commanding officer of a country's navy, or of combined naval forces.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > seafaring warrior or naval man > leader or commander > [noun] > naval officer > flag officer > admiral-in-chief
admiral1440
Lord Admiral1489
admiral general1553
Lord High Admiral?1574
admiral-in-chief1614
admiralissimo1723
1723 J. Dart tr. Epitaph in Westmonasterium II. 88 He was chosen one of the Admirals [L. admirallis], and of the Council to the most High Prince of Denmark, Admiralissimo of Great Britain [L. Magnae totius Britanniae admirallo].
1822 H. Niles Princ. & Acts of Revol. in Amer. 105/2 Nominating an admiralissimo and commander in chief of the naval forces.
1857 tr. A. de Lamartine Hist. Turkey II. xx. xv. 350 Soliman appointed him, after the death of Barbarossa,..admiralissimo [Fr. amiralissime] of his fleets.
1928 G. Campbell My Myst. Ships v. 73 Queenstown would have been an excellent place to have had a sort of Admiralissimo of all the approaches to the British Isles from the westward and southward.
1951 W. S. Churchill Second World War IV. i. xiv. 220 Yamamoto, the Japanese Admiralissimo.
1989 K. Grieves Sir Eric Geddes iv. 55 The British government pressed Italy and France to recognise the necessity for an Admiralissimo.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2011; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1723