infantry
[in-fuh n-tree]
noun, plural in·fan·tries.
soldiers or military units that fight on foot, in modern times typically with rifles, machine guns, grenades, mortars, etc., as weapons.
a branch of an army composed of such soldiers.
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Origin of infantry
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for infantry
infantry
noun plural -tries
Word Origin for infantry
C16: from Italian infanteria, from infante boy, foot soldier; see infant
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
infantry
1570s, from French infantrie, from older Italian, Spanish infanteria "foot soldiers, force composed of those too inexperienced or low in rank for cavalry," from infante "foot soldier," originally "a youth," from Latin infantem (see infant). Meaning "infants collectively" is recorded from 1610s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper