warrior

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈwɒɹi.ə/ (UK); /ˈwɔɹi.ɚ/, /ˈwɔɹjɚ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English werreyoure, borrowed from Old French werreieor (“a warrior, one who wages war”) (Old North French; central Old French guerreieor),^[2][3][4][5] from werreier (“to wage war”), from werre, war (see war).^[3][4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

One whose occupation is warfare, a fighting man: 1297 in the OED, probably before 1300 in Barnhart, about 1300 in Etymonline.^[7][2][3]

Semantic evolution

One who makes war on someone, a persecutor, is an obsolete sense of before 1300.^[7] It is especially used in an honourable sense, a brave veteran.^[3] Applied to a woman it is from about 1400,^[7] and to an animal from 1697.^[7] The North American warrior ant, a slave-making species, is named by 1834.^[3] The wallflower was locally called bloody warrior (1825).^[7]

Timeline

• 1297 – a fighting man.^[7]
• c. 1400 – of a woman.^[7]
• 1697 – of an animal.^[7]
• 1834 – warrior ant.^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A brave or experienced soldier or fighter, especially in earlier times.
2. A person who shows great vigour or courage in a struggle.

Word family

• warriorlike
• Black Warrior
• cold warrior
• Indian warrior
• road warrior
• weekend warrior

Related words

• war
• warfare
• guerrilla

References

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