battalion
[ buh-tal-yuhn ]
/ bəˈtæl yən /
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noun
Military. a ground force unit composed of a headquarters and two or more companies or similar units.
an army in battle array.
Often battalions. a large number of persons or things; force: battalions of bureaucrats.
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Origin of battalion
1580–90; <Middle French bataillon <Italian battaglione large squadron of soldiers, equivalent to battagli(a) battalia + -one augmentative suffix
OTHER WORDS FROM battalion
sub·bat·tal·i·on, nounWords nearby battalion
batsman, bats-wing coral-tree, batt, battailous, battalia, battalion, batteau, battel, battels, battement, batten
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for battalion
British Dictionary definitions for battalion
battalion
/ (bəˈtæljən) /
noun
a military unit comprised of three or more companies or formations of similar size
(usually plural) any large array
Word Origin for battalion
C16: from French bataillon, from Old Italian battaglione, from battaglia company of soldiers, battle
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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