Young people in training to become military officers or police officers; trainees in military or uniformed services.
From French 'cadet', from Gascon 'capdet' meaning 'chief' or 'captain.' It originally referred to younger sons of nobility (literally 'little captains'), then became formalized for military trainees.
Cadets were originally younger sons of noble families who weren't going to inherit anything, so they became military 'little captains'—the military academy system arose to train these younger siblings. It's a word born from inheritance problems.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.