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Glite Dictionary
👚 A sailor blouse ⚓ A navy cadet
middy

middy

9.6
A young person training to be an officer in the navy
  • noun
  • /ˈmɪdi/
  • Archaic
translation icon : guardiamarina
  • As a middy, she received special privileges to observe the ship's operations.

Examples

  • The young middy learned the ropes during his training at the naval academy.

  • After weeks of training, the middy felt ready to take on new challenges in the navy.

  • These big glasses called schooners and the small one are middies.

    They're a Weird Mob (1966)

Synonyms

midshipman
vsmiddy
  • Specialized
15 8.4

A young officer in the navy who is training to work at sea

is used more generally for junior naval trainees rather than that specific rank
midshipwoman
vsmiddy
  • UK
9.9

A woman training to be a navy officer holding a junior rank

is used for any junior naval officer or cadet regardless of gender

Compounds

middy blouse
  • Archaic
7.7

A woman's or girl's top with a sailor-style collar like a sailor's uniform

Surface Forms

middy singular
middies plural

Etymology

Middy is a short form of midshipman, from mid- 'middle' and ship 'ship', because these officers served 'in the middle of the ship', so a middy is a young naval officer or cadet learning to sail.