veteran

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈvɛ.tə.ɹən/, /ˈvɛ.tɹən/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French vétéran or directly borrowed from Latin veterānus (“old, experienced; long in use”),^[2][3][4] from vetus (“old, aged”) (genitive veteris),^[2][5] from PIE Proto-Indo-European *wet- (“year”), also the source of Greek ἔτος (étos, “year”) and English wether.^[2] Latin veteranus was used especially of soldiers, and in rural use of cattle, slaves and vines.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

One who has had long experience in military service, an old soldier: 1509 in the OED and MWU, about 1500 in Etymonline.^[6][4][2]

Semantic evolution

One who has seen long service in any office or position is from 1597, the 1590s in Etymonline.^[6][2] The adjective is from the 1610s, and of soldiers, much experienced in warfare, from 1611–1728.^[2][6] Any former member of the armed forces, the usual North American sense, is from 1798.^[6] A veteran car, one made before 1916 (or 1905), is from 1965.^[6][7] The short form vet is from the mid-19th century.^[5]

Timeline

• 1509 – an old soldier.^[6]
• 1597 – one with long service in any field.^[6]
• 1798 – any ex-serviceman (chiefly American).^[6]
• 1965 – a veteran car.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A person who has long experience in a particular field.
2. A former member of the armed forces, especially one who served in a war.
3. An old soldier with long experience.

Adjective

1. Having long experience: a veteran journalist.

Word family

• nonveteran
• Veterans Day

Related words

• inveterate
• wether
• vet
• veterinary

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ 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
7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins