ENGLISH
REFERENCE

army

n. countable
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˈɑɹmi// UK //ˈɑːmi// army General-service Slang

n. a large, organized group of people trained to fight on land in a war. It can also mean a very large group of people who share a common goal or interest.

n. a large, organized body of armed personnel trained for land-based warfare. By extension, a vast multitude of people or things acting in concert or sharing a common characteristic.


SIMPLE

The army marches toward the border.

CONTEXTUAL

After the earthquake, the army arrived to help distribute food and medical supplies to the survivors.

COMPLEX

The general realized that maintaining a standing army during peacetime required a significant portion of the national budget, leading to intense debates in the capital.

Synonyms
Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂er-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₂(e)rmosder. Latin arma Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin armō ▲ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātus Latin armātus Anglo-Norman armeebor. Middle English armee English army From (1386) Middle English armee, borrowed from Old French armee (cf. modern French armée), from Medieval Latin armāta (“armed force”), a noun taken from the past participle of Latin armāre (“to arm”), itself related to arma (“tools, arms”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- (“to join, fit together”). Doublet of armada. Displaced native Old English here and fierd.

Usage

A collective noun; in British English, it can take either a singular or plural verb, whereas American English prefers the singular.

Idioms1 entry

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