Infantry definition
Company B of the 7th Infantry.
The 274th Infantry.
The general ordered his infantry to attack.
An example of an infantry is a group of Marine ground forces.
Other Word Forms
Noun
Origin of infantry
- French infanterie from Old French from Old Italian infanteria from infante youth, foot soldier from Latin īnfāns īnfant- infant infant
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From Middle French infanterie, from older Italian, possibly from Spanish infantería "foot soldiers, force composed of those too inexperienced or low in rank for cavalry," from infante "foot soldier," originally "a youth", either way from Latin infans '(child) who doesn't speak (yet)' (from in- 'non-' + fari 'to speak')
From Wiktionary