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patrol

Etymology and origin of the English word patrol

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1664
Borrowed from
French patrouille
Ultimate origin
French (patrouille)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /pəˈtɹəʊl/ (UK); /pəˈtɹoʊl/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French patrouille (“a night watch”), partly through German Patrolle,[2][3][4][5] from patrouiller (“to go the rounds; originally, to tramp through the mud”), from Old French patouiller, to paddle in water,[3][6][7] probably from pate (“paw, foot”) (see patten).[3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The action of going the rounds of a garrison or camp: 1664, in Butler's Hudibras.[2][8][6] Etymonline dates it to the 1660s.[3]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline suggests it was probably soldiers' slang, comparing the American army slang paddlefoot, an infantry soldier;[3] Word Origins notes it brings out the unpleasant side of military life.[3][7] Those who go on patrol are a patrol from 1670,[8] and a detachment sent out to scout from 1702.[8][3] The verb is from the 1690s.[3] A unit of six to eight scouts or guides is from 1908,[8] and a reconnaissance flight by military aircraft from 1917.[8]

Timeline

  • 1664 – going the rounds.[2][8]
  • 1670 – the guards on patrol.[8]
  • 1690s – the verb.[3]
  • 1702 – a scouting detachment.[8]
  • 1908 – a unit of scouts.[8]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person or group sent to keep watch over an area, especially soldiers or police.
  2. The act of going round an area to keep watch.
  3. A unit of six to eight Scouts or Guides.

Verb

  1. To keep watch over an area by regularly walking or travelling round it.

Word family

  • patroller
  • patrolman
  • patrolwoman
  • repatrol
  • unpatrolled
  • dawn patrol
  • highway patrol
  • patrol car
  • paw
  • patten

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Patrol.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/patrol. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·