PO
5
8.6
- noun
- Jargon
:
suboficial
- The PO guided the recruits through their training exercises every morning.
Examples
-
Man, when I tell my PO that I got a job, he is gonna be so shocked.
-
It's odd now that I have a 25-year-old PO officer telling me how she can assist me if I want to relocate to another state.
Blog text (11) -
Who's your PO?
-
Giddons, all due respect, you're not a detective, you're my PO.
-
She reported to her PO after completing the mission to provide an update.
-
The PO ensured that all personnel followed proper protocols during the drills.
Synonyms
10
4.8
A sailor with a middle rank in the Navy or Coast Guard who leads other sailors
2
8.1
A military leader who used to be a soldier and commands a small group
2
6.2
A military person promoted from lower ranks who leads and trains soldiers
A navy or coast guard sailor with a rank above seaman and below chief petty officer
Compounds
How Senior
- Specialized
3
3.6
2
6.5
- Specialized
2
7.3
- Jargon
5
8.6
59
2.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
PO = petty officer (semi-transparent) = P + O
The abbreviation is clear to those familiar with military terminology but relies on knowledge of rank expansions rather than morphological composition.
Etymology
PO stands for Petty Officer. The word petty once meant 'small' or 'junior', so a Petty Officer is a lower-ranking officer who leads sailors, much like a sergeant in the Army.