hoplite

[hop-lahyt]

noun

a heavily armed foot soldier of ancient Greece.

Origin of hoplite

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

Related formshop·lit·ic

[hop-lit-ik] /hɒpˈlɪt ɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for hoplite

Historical Examples of hoplite

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
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
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
Now Artybios was riding a horse which had been trained to rear up against a hoplite.
The History Of Herodotus
Herodotus
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

British Dictionary definitions for hoplite

hoplite

noun

(in ancient Greece) a heavily armed infantryman

Derived Formshoplitic (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

Word Origin and History for hoplite

"heavy-armed foot soldier of ancient Greece," 1727, from Greek hoplites "heavily armed soldier," literally "heavy armed," from hopla "arms, armor," plural of hoplon "tool, weapon, implement."