conscription

[kuhn-skrip-shuhn]

noun

1. compulsory enrollment of persons for military or naval service; draft.

2. a compulsory contribution of money to a government during a time of war.

conscription

/ kənˈskrɪpʃən /

noun

1. compulsory military service

Other Word Forms

• conscriptional adjective
• anticonscription noun
• nonconscription noun
• proconscription adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of conscription¹

First recorded in 1350–1400 for earlier sense “piece of writing”; 1795–1805 for current senses; Middle English conscripcioun, from Latin conscrīptiōn-, stem of conscrīptiō “composition, written record, levy of troops,” equivalent to conscript + -ion

Example Sentences

Hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish Israelis are taking part in a protest in Jerusalem against changes to a legal exemption for religious students from conscription in the military.

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Some ultra-Orthodox rabbis fear that conscription will make young people less religious, but others accept that those who do not study holy texts full-time can enlist.

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The man, who asked to be identified as Jonas, said he fled his home country because he feared religious persecution during mandatory conscription in the military.

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The junta responded to its losses in late 2023 by starting a forced conscription drive.

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Roettgen argued that including conscription provisions in the law now -- instead of putting off a decision into the future -- was an important matter of transparency.

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Related Words

• enrollment 
• induction