Word
militia
Phoneticsmili·tia
US/məˈɫɪʃə/
UK/məlˈɪʃɐ/
Definitions
01civilian military force
n. a group of citizens who receive military training so they can defend their country or area in an emergency.
n. a military force raised from the civil population to supplement a regular army in an emergency.
“The local militia was called to help the regular army defend the border.”
“During the revolutionary period, the local militia provided a crucial defensive layer while the professional continental forces were reorganising.”
Formal
Synonyms
Antonyms
03national police force
n. the name for the national police force in some countries, especially in Eastern Europe.
n. the name of the national police force in certain countries, particularly former Soviet states.
“He worked for the national militia for twenty years before retiring.”
“The transition from a Soviet-style militia to a modern police force required significant legislative reform and retraining of personnel.”
Technical
Usage
Often used as a proper noun or in translation to refer to the 'Militsiya'.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“While most of the evidence concerns the military and allied militias, the Mechanism said it is also investigating abuses by armed groups opposed to the military .” “Further complicating the response is the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC between the Congolese military and Rwanda-backed M23 militia.” Etymology
From Latin mīlitia (“army, military force/service”), from mīles (“soldier”). Doublet of militsia. The use of "militia" rather than "police" to refer to the police force (of Belarus and some other countries) originated in the USSR.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/militia