line officer
1
7.7
- noun
- /laɪn ˈɔfɪsər/
- Jargon
:
oficial de línea
- During the training exercise, the line officer provided essential guidance to the soldiers under his command.
- line officer held
Examples
-
Lacking discipline as well as formal training, the line officers were relatively easy targets for manipulation by President Marcos.
Academic text (1990) -
Most line officers submitted to these expectations rather than have their careers destroyed, but there was resentment towards the political officers, who were seen as ill-qualified for the kinds of decisions they presumed to make.
Academic text (1998) -
Direct party control within the military was carried out by political officers who were assigned as "seconds" to every critical line officer.
Academic text (1998) -
I have too much respect for a line officer to believe that we need 17 layers between us.
Blog text (25) -
Often, regular or line officers were offered the opportunity for a fast promotion if they switched to the political track.
Academic text (1999) -
[Davis] General Miles brought with him an entirely new staff of line officers.
-
Line officers were expected to consult their corresponding political officers in matters of morale and political motivation.
Academic text (1998) -
Lieutenant Cross forms O'Brien's principal treatment of the weight of responsibility that rests on the shoulders of line officers.
Fiction book (1998) -
A line officer is responsible for leading troops in the field during combat operations.
-
The line officer played a crucial role in planning the attack and ensuring the safety of the unit.
Synonyms
3
3.6
A member of the military who has power from the government to give orders
Antonyms
- Specialized
3
6.1
A person in the military who helps a commander plan and manage operations
How Senior
- Specialized
4
5.0
- Specialized
2
4.6
- Jargon
1
7.7
99
2.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a commissioned officer in a combat unit' is directly derivable from combining 'line' (a forward/front troop position) with 'officer' (a military rank), yielding an officer assigned to the line. Although it is somewhat specialized military vocabulary, the noun+noun composition is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the intended sense.
Etymology
Line officer comes from the idea of the line of soldiers at the front of a battle. A line officer was an officer who stood in that front line and gave direct orders, so today it means an officer in a 'combat' unit rather than a 'staff' or 'supply' officer.