militia

[mi-lish-uh]

noun

1. a body of citizens enrolled for military service, and called out periodically for drill but serving full time only in emergencies.

2. a body of citizen soldiers as distinguished from professional soldiers.

3. all able-bodied males considered by law eligible for military service.

4. a body of citizens organized in a paramilitary group and typically regarding themselves as defenders of individual rights against the presumed interference of the federal government.

militia

/ mɪˈlɪʃə /

noun

1. a body of citizen (as opposed to professional) soldiers

2. an organization containing men enlisted for service in emergency only

Word History and Origins

Origin of militia¹

1580–90; < Latin mīlitia soldiery, equivalent to mīlit- (stem of mīles ) soldier + -ia -ia

Word History and Origins

Origin of militia¹

C16: from Latin: soldiery, from mīles soldier

Example Sentences

Among the general's criticisms of the US proposal were claims that it "eliminates the armed forces, dissolves security agencies and keeps the militias where they are" without disarming them.

Read more on Barron's

The veteran militant—born to a Lebanese mother and Iranian father—had risen through the ranks and helped build out Tehran’s broader network of militias surrounding Israel.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The U.S. isn’t considering working with militias in Gaza, one of the American officials said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said last month in response to the news that his country had secretly backed militia groups.

Read more on BBC

It supplied extensive real-time target lists in Tehran and supplied the Lebanese militia Hezbollah with doctored pagers that it then remotely detonated.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal