soldier
American Heritage Dictionary:
Top
sol·dier
(sōl'jər) 
n.
n.
- One who serves in an army.
- An enlisted person or a noncommissioned officer.
- An active, loyal, or militant follower of an organization.
- A sexually undeveloped form of certain ants and termites, having large heads and powerful jaws.
- One of a group of honeybees that swarm in defense of a hive.
- To be or serve as a soldier.
- To make a show of working in order to escape punishment.
[Middle English soudier, mercenary, from Anglo-Norman soudeour, soldeier and Old French soudoior, soudier, both from Old French sol, soud, sou, from Late Latin solidum, soldum, pay, from solidus, solidus. See solidus.]
soldiership sol'dier·ship' n.WORD HISTORY Why do soldiers fight? One answer is hidden in the word soldier itself. Its first recorded occurrence is found in a work composed around 1300, the word having come into Middle English (as soudier) from Old French soudoior and Anglo-Norman soudeour. The Old French word, first recorded in the 12th century, is derived from sol or soud, Old French forms of Modern French sou. There is no longer a French coin named sou, but the meaning of sou alerts us to the fact that money is involved. Indeed, Old French sol referred to a coin and also meant "pay," and a soudoior was a man who fought for pay. This was a concept worth expressing in an era when many men were not paid for fighting but did it in service to a feudal superior. Thus soldier is parallel to the word mercenary, which goes back to Latin mercēnnārius, derived from mercēs, "pay," and meaning "working for pay." The word could also be used as a noun, one of whose senses was "a soldier of fortune."
Roget's Thesaurus:
Top
soldier
noun
- One who engages in a combat or struggle: belligerent, combatant, fighter, warrior. See conflict/cooperation.
Top
n. 1. a person who serves in an army.
2. also common soldier or private soldier a private in an army.
v.serve as a soldier: (soldiering) soldiering was what the colonel understood.
soldierly adj.
See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.
1. A brick that is laid on end, i.e., positioned vertically with its narrower face showing on the wall surface; compare with sailor.
3. Same as soldier pile.
 |
Marine Corps Dictionary:
Top
Soldier
A member of a military force that trains for and fights in wars. General reference is to a member of the Army while in fact soldiering is practiced by Marines, certain sailors and some airmen.
Word Tutor:
Top
soldier
IN BRIEF: A person in the military service.
War loses a great deal of its romance after a soldier has seen his first battle.
— John Singleton Mosby (1833-1916).
LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!
Sign Language Videos:
Top
soldier
sign description: Both A-hands are tapped on the chest, followed by the PERSON-AGENT MARKER.
Quotes About:
Top
Soldier
Quotes:
"A good soldier, like a good horse, cannot be of a bad color."
- Oliver Wendell Holmes
"The patriot volunteer, fighting for country and his rights, makes the most reliable soldier on earth."
- Thomas J. Jackson
"Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state."
- Thomas Jefferson
"But in a larger sense we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract."
- Abraham Lincoln
"Old soldiers never die; they just fade away."
- Douglas Macarthur
"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived."
- George S. Patton
See more famous quotes about Soldier
The Dream Encyclopedia:
Top
Soldiers
In esoteric belief, soldiers symbolize God's army of angels, and signify to the dreamer that divine retribution will expiate the wrongs experienced by the dreamer.
Top
noun
noun, nautical, orig and mainly US
1: A worthless seaman; a loafer, shirker; often in phr. old soldier. (1840 —) .
B. Hamilton He's a bit of an old soldier, but a first-rate seaman, and a hundred percent reliable at sea (1958).
2: sod (etc.) this for a game of soldiers and variants: expressing irritation or exasperation at a situation or (esp. time-wasting) activity. (1979 —) .
R. M. Wilson Fuck this for a game of soldiers, you conclude. You've got to move before you die (1989). See also dead soldiernoun .
noun, nautical, orig and mainly US
1: A worthless seaman; a loafer, shirker; often in phr. old soldier. (1840 —) .
B. Hamilton He's a bit of an old soldier, but a first-rate seaman, and a hundred percent reliable at sea (1958).
2: sod (etc.) this for a game of soldiers and variants: expressing irritation or exasperation at a situation or (esp. time-wasting) activity. (1979 —) .
R. M. Wilson Fuck this for a game of soldiers, you conclude. You've got to move before you die (1989). See also dead soldier
| soixante-neuf, soft touch, soft soap | |
| soldier's farewell, solid, solitary |
Random House Word Menu:
Top
categories related to 'soldier'
- Soldiers and Military Life - soldier: military fighting person; member of armed forces, esp. army
- Occupations and Job Titles
- Respectful or Admiring Reference
See crossword solutions for the clue Wikipedia on Answers.com:
Top
Soldier
For other uses, see Soldier (disambiguation).
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2011) |
 German soldiers in Bosnia |
|
| Occupation | |
|---|---|
| Activity sectors | Military |
| Description | |
| Competencies | Physical Stamina Mindset |
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary.[1] The majority of cognates of the word "soldier" that exist in other languages have a meaning that embraces both commissioned and non-commissioned officers in national land forces.
|
Contents
|
Etymology
The word soldier entered modern English in the 14th century, from the equivalent Middle English word soudeour, from Anglo-French soudeer or soudeour, meaning mercenary, from soudee, meaning shilling's worth or wage, from sou or soud, shilling.[2] The word is also related to the Medieval Latin soldarius, meaning soldier (literally, "one having pay").[3] These words were ultimately derived from the Late Latin word solidus, referring to an Ancient Roman coin used in the Byzantine Empire.[2][3]
Occupational designations
In most armed forces use of the word soldier has taken on a more general meaning, due to the increasing specialization of military occupations that require different areas of knowledge and skill-sets. As a result, "soldiers" are referred to by names or ranks which reflect an individual's military occupation specialty arm, service or branch of military employment, their type of unit, or operational employment or technical use such as: trooper, tanker, commando, dragoon, infantryman, marine, paratrooper, ranger, sniper, engineer, sapper, medic, or a gunner.
.jpg)
Other terms
In many countries soldiers serving in specific occupations are referred to by terms other than their occupational name. For example military police personnel in the UK are known as "redcaps" from the colour of their berets or other headwear.
In the United States Army, infantrymen are called "grunts", while artillerymen are sometimes referred to as "redlegs", from the branch color for artillery. US soldiers are often called "G.I.s".
French Marine Infantry are called marsouins (French: porpoises) because of their amphibious role.[citation needed] Military units in most armies have nicknames of this type, arising either from items of distinctive uniform, some historical connotation or rivalry between branches or regiments.
Career soldier
Most soldiers serve a single term, especially draftees. Others choose to serve until retirement; then they receive a pension and other benefits. In the USA, servicemembers can retire at 20 years.[4] In other services, 30 years (hence the term "30-year man").
See also
References
- ^ "mercenary." The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 16 May 2009. Dictionary.com http://dictionary1.classic.reference.com/browse/mercenary
- ^ a b Mish, Frederick C., ed. (2004). "soldier". Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th edition ed.). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster. ISBN 0-87779-809-5.
- ^ a b Harper, Douglas (2010). "Online Etymology Dictionary". http://www.etymonline.com/. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
- ^ "20-Year Retirement". Armytimes.com. http://www.armytimes.com/careers/retirement/military_retirement_2007hbml/. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
External links
 |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Soldiers |
 |
Look up soldier in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Soldier |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
Top
Soldier
Dansk (Danish)
n. - soldat, militærperson, stridsmand, stander
v. intr. - være soldat, gøre tjeneste som soldat
idioms:
- soldier of fortune lykkeridder
- soldier on holde troligt ud, holde stand, blive troligt ved
Nederlands (Dutch)
soldaat, militair
Français (French)
n. - soldat, militaire
v. intr. - être militaire ou dans l'armée, simuler une maladie, traîner
idioms:
- soldier of fortune mercenaire
- soldier on persévérer malgré tout
Deutsch (German)
n. - Soldat
v. - als Soldat dienen
idioms:
- soldier of fortune Glücksritter
- soldier on weitermachen
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - στρατιώτης, μαχητής, στρατευμένος, στρατιωτικός, (μτφ.) αγωνιστής
adj. - στρατιώτης
idioms:
- soldier of fortune τυχοδιώκτης, μισθοφόρος
- soldier on (καθομ.) προχωρώ/συνεχίζω απτόητος
idioms:
- soldier of fortune mercenario
- soldier on persistere
Português (Portuguese)
n. - soldado (m), militar (m), guerreiro (m)
idioms:
- soldier of fortune mercenário (m), soldado da fortuna (m)
- soldier on perseverar
Русский (Russian)
солдат, военнослужащий, воин, солдатик (игрушка), борец, краб, рак, служить в армии, находиться на военной службе
idioms:
- soldier of fortune наемный солдат, наемник
- soldier on оставаться на посту, не сдавать позиции, упорно продвигаться вперед, продолжать работу, несмотря на трудности
Español (Spanish)
n. - soldado, militar
v. intr. - servir como soldado o militar, fingir que se trabaja para escapar al castigo
idioms:
- soldier of fortune mercenario
- soldier on seguir adelante a pesar de todo
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - soldat, knekt (åld.), militär, fuskare, skolkare, rökt sik
adj. - krigar-, soldat-
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
兵, 士兵, 军事家, 军人, 战士, 斗士, 当兵, 服兵役, 磨洋工, 坚持干, 假称害病
idioms:
- soldier of fortune 雇佣军人, 逐利冒险家
- soldier on 顽强地坚持下去
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 兵, 士兵, 軍事家, 軍人, 戰士, 鬥士
v. intr. - 當兵, 服兵役, 磨洋工, 堅持幹, 假稱害病
idioms:
- soldier of fortune 雇傭軍人, 逐利冒險家
- soldier on 頑強地堅持下去
한국어 (Korean)
n. - (육군) 군인, 투사, 장군
v. intr. - 군인이 되다, 일을 게을리하다
idioms:
- soldier on 군인으로서 계속 근무하다, 꾸준히 일하다, 버텨 나가다
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 軍人, 兵士, 戦士
v. - 軍人になる, 兵役につく
idioms:
- soldier of fortune 傭兵, 冒険家
- soldier on がんばる
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) جندي (صفه) بطولي
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - חייל, איש-צבא, מין נמלה, חיפושית טורפת, פרוסת צרה של לחם קלוי הנטבלת בביצה רכה
v. intr. - שירת בצבא
If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Read more
Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 byHoughton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Read more
Oxford Dictionary of the US Military
The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. Copyright © 2001, 2002 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
Read more
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture & Construction
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Read more
Marine Corps Dictionary
Copyright © 2003 Unofficial Dictionary for Marines compiled and edited by Glenn B. Knight.
Read more
Word Tutor
Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved.
eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; sign up free. Read more
eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; sign up free. Read more
The Dream Encyclopedia
The Dreams Encyclopedia. 1995 ©Visible Ink Press (VisibleInkPress.com). All rights reserved.
Read more
Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang
Oxford University Press. © 1997, 2008, 2010
All rights reserved.
Read more
Random House Word Menu
© 2010 Write Brothers Inc. Word Menu is a registered trademark of the Estate of Stephen Glazier.
Write Brothers Inc.
All rights reserved.
Read more
Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary
Collins Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary © Anne Bradford, 1986, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008
HarperCollins Publishers
All rights reserved.
Read more
Wikipedia on Answers.com
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Soldier.
Read more
