cadet
UK[kəˈdet]US[kəˈdet]
n
a young person training to become an officer in the armed forces or the police.
n
a student at a military school.
Etymology
the word 'cadet' entered english in the 17th century from french, where 'cadet' originally meant 'younger son or brother'. the french term derived from gascon 'capdet', meaning 'chief, captain', which itself came from late latin 'capitellum', a diminutive of latin 'caput' meaning 'head'. the semantic journey is logical: from 'little head' or 'small chief', the term was applied to younger sons of noble families who were sent to military careers, as they were not in line to inherit the family estate. this military association became dominant, leading to the modern english meaning focused specifically on a trainee officer.
Analysis
this word is a loanword from french where it underwent significant semantic narrowing. it is not productively formed from morphemes in modern english spelling and is therefore treated as unsegmentable.
Examples
he joined the army as a cadet at the age of eighteen.
the naval cadets marched in perfect formation during the parade.
she is a cadet in the police academy, undergoing rigorous training.