infantry

noun

in·​fan·​try ˈin-fən-trē How to pronounce infantry (audio)
plural infantries
1
a
: soldiers trained, armed, and equipped to fight on foot
b
: a branch of an army composed of these soldiers
2
: an infantry regiment or division

Did you know?

The Italian word fante (from Latin infans, “infant, child”) originally meant “child,” later “youth, boy,” and then “servant.” In the 14th century, fante also took on the sense “foot soldier.” In Renaissance times, the fanteria, foot soldiers collectively, became a significant branch of arms, and the Italian word infanteria, was borrowed into English in the 1500s.

Examples of infantry in a Sentence

He joined the infantry after leaving school.
Recent Examples on the Web Whereas the first 89 included grand, gabled homes built before 1919, with sweeping porches and staircases, the nearly 100 more added to the list are in 12 multi-unit infantry barracks along Pope Avenue and Doniphan Drive dating to the early 1900s. Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2024 Russian forces divided their infantry formations into smaller units to avoid being shelled, while the amount of Russian airstrikes increased to hammer the city’s defenses. Anatoly Kurmanaev, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Noting the Ukrainians’ desperate shortage of artillery ammo, the Russians are betting that back-to-back-to-back waves of troops, riding in or on infantry fighting vehicles, can deplete Ukrainian firepower faster than the Ukrainians can deplete Russian manpower. David Axe, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 The enemy infantry did not even think about moving here. Ivana Kottasova, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024 The Ukrainians used to save their FPV drones for bigger targets — tanks, personnel carriers, artillery systems and so on — but now there is a green light to attack even a small group of enemy infantry. Isabelle Khurshudyan, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2024 Ukraine's foreign minister warns 'time is running out' to pass funding deal for aid Ukrainian Armor also manufactures infantry fighting vehicles. Tom Soufi Burridge, ABC News, 30 Jan. 2024 Next steps for Sunburst graduates Victor Rodriguez enlisted in the Army on a four-year contract to serve in the infantry, Sunburst Youth Academy recruiter and Air Force Staff Sgt. Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register, 29 Jan. 2024 But with no opportunities for Black officers to fly, Davis Jr. joined an infantry regiment. Nicole Chavez, CNN, 25 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'infantry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle French & Old Italian; Middle French infanterie, from Old Italian infanteria, from infante boy, foot soldier, from Latin infant-, infans

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of infantry was in 1579

Dictionary Entries Near infantry

Cite this Entry

“Infantry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infantry. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

infantry

noun
in·​fan·​try ˈin-fən-trē How to pronounce infantry (audio)
plural infantries
: a branch of an army made up of soldiers trained, armed, and equipped to fight on foot
Etymology

from early French infanterie and early Italian infanteria, both meaning "infantry," from early Italian infante "infant, boy, foot soldier," from Latin infans "infant"

Word Origin
In the Middle Ages in France, a young soldier from a good family who was not yet a knight was called enfant, which means "child." Likewise, in Italy a soldier moving on foot behind a knight riding a horse was an infante. Later, Italian foot soldiers as a group became known as infanteria, which was borrowed into French as infanterie and into English as infantry.
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