noun
cadet
kuh-DEHT
noun
1
A student training to become a military or police officer.
"The cadets marched across the parade ground at dawn."
2
(dated) A younger son in a family, who traditionally would not inherit the family estate.
"As the cadet branch of the family, they held no title."
How to Use Cadet
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA trainee officer in the military or police, or, in an older sense, a family's younger son.
Common pairings
a police cadet
officer cadet
cadet training
Word Forms
cadets plural, Cadets plural
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Etymology
Borrowed from French cadet, from Gascon capdet ("little chief"), from Late Latin capitellum, "small head" — first used in English from the 1630s.