battalion
[ buh-tal-yuh n ]
/ bəˈtæl yən /
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.
Nearby words
Origin of battalion
1580–90; < Middle French bataillon < Italian battaglione large squadron of soldiers, equivalent to battagli(a) battalia + -one augmentative suffix
Related formssub·bat·tal·i·on, noun
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples 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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Word Origin and History for battalion
battalion
1580s, from Middle French bataillon (16c.), from Italian battaglione "battle squadron," from diminutive of Vulgar Latin battalia "battle," from Latin bauttere "to beat" (see batter (v.)). Specific sense of "part of a regiment" is from 1708.
Madame, lui répondit-il, ne vous y fiez pas: j'ay tôujours vû Dieu do coté des gros Batallions. [E.Boursault, 1702]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper