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admiralty
noun
ad·mi·ral·ty
ˈad-m(ə-)rəl-tē
1
capitalized
: the executive department or officers formerly having general authority over British naval affairs
2
: the court having jurisdiction over questions of maritime law
also
: the system of law administered by admiralty courts
Examples of admiralty in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While Winston Churchill served as Britain’s first lord of the admiralty and minister of munitions—with a six-month period as the commander of a battalion in France in between—Adolf Hitler was languishing as an obscure runner in an insignificant regiment on the Western Front.
—
Tim Bouverie, airmail.news, 24 Aug. 2024
What was once confined to admiralty and customs skyrocketed when it was expanded to everyday use in the 1980s during the War on Drugs.
—
Jill Jacobson, Sun Sentinel, 6 June 2024
In April, the two firms had taken action to shield themselves from liability, citing the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851, according to Lawrence Brennan, a professor of admiralty and international maritime law at Fordham University School of Law in New York who spoke to Fortune at the time.
—
Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024
Civil forfeiture laws in the U.S. date back to English admiralty law.
—
Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2024
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Word History
Etymology
Middle English admiralte, ameralte "office or jurisdiction of an admiral," borrowed from Anglo-French admiralté, amiralté from admiral, amiral admiral + -té -ty
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of admiralty was
in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near admiralty
Cite this Entry
“Admiralty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/admiralty. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
Kids Definition
admiralty
1 of 2 noun1
: a group of officials formerly in charge of the British navy
2
: the court having authority over questions of maritime law
also
: the system of law administered by admiralty courts
admiralty
2 of 2 adjective
ad·mi·ral·ty
ˈad-mə-rəl-tē,
-mrəl-
: of or relating to conduct on the sea
Legal Definition
admiralty
noun
ad·mi·ral·ty
ˈad-mə-rəl-tē
: the court having jurisdiction over questions of maritime law
also
: maritime law
More from Merriam-Webster on admiralty
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for admiralty
Britannica English: Translation of admiralty for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about admiralty
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