noncom
2
8.1
- noun
- /ˈnɒnˌkɒm/
- Jargon
:
suboficial
- A peacekeeping forces noncom sat near the boy, smoothing a lock of ruffled hair.
- noncom officer
- two noncoms
Examples
-
During the briefing, the noncom explained the mission objectives clearly.
-
It wasn't the fault of the enlisted ranks or the noncoms or the junior officers.
Academic text (2010) -
You're the only noncom left.
-
Every boxer in this outfit's a noncom.
-
One is a silk merchant in Palestine; the other is a noncom in the Turkish army.
Fiction book (1990) -
Noncoms, get B.A.R.s and ammunition from the supply room.
-
"They've got warehouses all over the world," the Swedish noncom said.
Fiction book (1990) -
Two tall army noncoms got out, grabbed my father, and took him into the lorry.
Fiction book (1994) -
We have noncoms fighting and risking their lives, and the bosses are sending emails.
Blog text (23) -
He was pleased to see that Pinney and his noncoms had the men deployed and ready to move.
Fiction book (1996)
Synonyms
5
8.6
A Navy or Coast Guard leader with a rank like an Army sergeant
2
6.2
A military person promoted from lower ranks who leads and trains soldiers
A military officer promoted from regular soldiers instead of joining as a new officer
A navy or coast guard sailor with a rank above seaman and below chief petty officer
Surface Forms
Morphology
noncom = noncommissioned officer (semi-transparent) = non + com
Formed by clipping the phrase 'noncommissioned officer' to 'noncom'; the relation is understandable if the full phrase is known but the clipped element 'com' is not a standalone English morpheme.
Etymology
Noncom is short for non-commissioned officer, where non- means 'not' and commissioned means 'given an official rank'. So a noncom is a leader who rose from the regular soldiers rather than being given a formal commission, which explains why they lead by experience from the ranks.