hoplite

[ hop-lahyt ]

/ ˈhɒp laɪt /

noun

a heavily armed foot soldier of ancient Greece.

Nearby words

hopkins, hopkinsianism, hopkinson, hopkinsville, hoples, hoplite, hoplology, hoppe, hopped up, hopped-up, hopper

Origin of hoplite

1720–30; < Greek hoplī́tēs, equivalent to hópl(on) piece of armor, particularly the large shield + -ītēs -ite¹

Related forms

hop·lit·ic

[hop-lit-ik] /hɒpˈlɪt ɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hoplite

Now Artybios was riding a horse which had been trained to rear up against a hoplite.
The History Of Herodotus|Herodotus
A horseman fully armed is thrusting his spear into the body of his fallen foe—a hoplite.
Lippincott's Magazine Of Popular Literature And Science, No. 23, February, 1873, Vol. XI. No. 23.|Various
A horseman fully armed is thrusting his spear into the body of his fallen foe,—a hoplite.
With the World's Great Travellers, Volume IV|Various
Of the two figures in the chariot of slab xxiv., nothing now remains but part of the shield and left arm of the hoplite 58.
A Catalogue of Sculpture in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, British Museum, Volume I (of 2)|A. H. Smith

Thirdly, if Draco had instituted a hoplite census, Solon would not have substituted citizenship by birth.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 6|Various

British Dictionary definitions for hoplite

hoplite

/ (ˈhɒplaɪt) /

noun

(in ancient Greece) a heavily armed infantryman

Derived Forms

hoplitic (hɒpˈlɪtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for hoplite

C18: from Greek hoplitēs, from hoplon weapon, from hepein to prepare

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012