# adjutant

/ˈædʒətənt/ (US) · /ˈædʒuːtənt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/adjutant
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. military assistant

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal · Technical

a military officer whose job is to help a more senior officer with office work and organization.

For teachers: a staff officer who assists a commanding officer by handling administrative tasks, correspondence, and personnel matters.

- The colonel asked his adjutant to prepare the reports for the morning meeting.
- The adjutant was responsible for coordinating the battalion's logistics and ensuring that all official orders were distributed to the company commanders.

Usage: Commonly used in military contexts to describe a specific administrative rank or role.

### 2. a type of stork

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a very large bird from the stork family that lives in India and Southeast Asia.

For teachers: any of several large storks of the genus Leptoptilos, characterized by a heavy bill and a neck pouch.

- We saw a greater adjutant standing by the river during our trip to India.
- Conservationists are working to protect the nesting grounds of the greater adjutant, a stork species that has become increasingly rare in Southeast Asia.

Usage: Usually appears as 'greater adjutant' or 'lesser adjutant' in biological descriptions.

### 3. assisting

adjective · CEFR C2 · Formal

describing someone who helps a person in a higher position.

For teachers: serving as an assistant or helper to a superior officer or official.

- He held an adjutant position within the local government office.
- The adjutant professor provided essential support to the department head during the curriculum review process.

Usage: Rarely used as an adjective in modern English outside of specific formal titles.

## Examples

- The adjutant stood perfectly still by the riverbank.
- During our trip to the nature reserve, we spotted a greater adjutant nesting high in the trees.
- The adjutant is a distinctive scavenger, easily identified by its thick neck and the large, fleshy pouch that hangs from its throat during the breeding season.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.