infantry

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɪnfəntɹi/, /ˈɪnfənt͡ʃɹi/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French infanterie,^[2][3][4][5] from Italian infanteria (“foot soldiers”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} a collective from infante “youth; foot soldier”,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Latin infans (“infant”).^[2][3][4][5] It is related to infant.^[2][3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The body of foot soldiers; the part of an army that fights on foot (1579).^[7][3][5]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline explains the Italian word as a force made up of those too inexperienced or low in rank to serve in the cavalry.^[4] The word also meant, humorously, “infants collectively” (1613–16).^[7][4] It has otherwise kept its military sense,^[7] applied to soldiers who fight on foot and to the branch of an army they make up.^[2][5][6]

Timeline

• 1579 – foot soldiers.^[7][3][5]
• 1613–16 – infants collectively, now jocular.^[7][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Soldiers trained, armed and equipped to fight on foot.
2. The branch of an army made up of such soldiers.
3. An infantry regiment or division.

Word family

• infantryman
• light infantry

Related words

• infant
• infante
• cavalry

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press