hoplite

American  

[hop-lahyt] / ˈhɒp laɪt /

noun

1. a heavily armed foot soldier of ancient Greece.

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hoplite British  

/ ˈhɒplaɪt, hɒpˈlɪtɪk /

noun

1. (in ancient Greece) a heavily armed infantryman

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Other Word Forms

• hoplitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of hoplite

1720–30; < Greek hoplī́tēs, equivalent to hópl ( on ) piece of armor, particularly the large shield + -ītēs -ite ¹

Example Sentences

Sparta was an agrarian oligarchy whose muscle was its hoplite horde.

From The Wall Street Journal

On a battlefield near Thebes in 371, Epaminondas broke the Spartan hoplite phalanx and killed one of its kings.

From Slate

He was equally renowned for his classroom style, in which he peppered nuanced readings of ancient texts with references to his beloved New York Yankees and inventive, sometimes comic exercises in class participation, like having students form a hoplite phalanx to demonstrate how Greek soldiers marched into combat.

From New York Times

Elliott came up with the idea of a therapy-dog television series called “Love Unleashed” and has found a production partner in Hoplite Entertainment.

From Seattle Times

Over its lifetime, Hoplite managed to stand out during times of market stress, including the 2008 financial crisis and again in 2011, 2015 and even last year, the manager wrote.

From Reuters