lance corporal
noun /ˌlɑːns ˈkɔːpərəl/
/ˌlæns ˈkɔːrpərəl/
- a member of one of the lower ranks in the British army
- Lance Corporal Alan Smith
Word Originlate 18th cent.: on the analogy of obsolete lancepesade, the lowest grade of non-commissioned officer, based on Italian lancia spezzata ‘broken lance’.