Origins
The present Polish system of rank insignia is a direct descendant of various systems used in the past in the Polish Army. Some of the grades trace their name back to Middle Ages, for instance the rank of chorąży literally means a flag bearer or literally, an Ensign. Other names of Polish ranks are of foreign origin and were in most cases introduced by 17th century mercenaries serving for the Polish Crown. These include the rank of kapral is a derivate of Italian caporale - much like the English equivalent of corporal.
Most rank titles are cognates to the ones in English, with some exceptions. Notably colonel's literal meaning is regimental-leader, likewise plutonowy means platoon-leader. Also, the title equivalent to petty officer is identical to the word for boatswain, so a Bosman may or may not be a bosman.
Until World War II, each of the branches of the Land Forces used a set of different names for the same grades. For instance a sergeant was called sierżant in the infantry, ogniomistrz (literally master of fire) in the artillery and wachmistrz (from German Wachtmeister, or Master of the Guards) in the cavalry. This is directly equivalent to the German army calling a cavalry Hauptmann a Rittmeister
Modern polish military practices were heavily influenced by Prussian/German and Russian traditions, as most founding officers after 1918 independence were veterans of those respective armies.
Read more about this topic: Polish Armed Forces Rank Insignia
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