armyn.
/ˈɑːmi/, U.S. /ˈɑrmi/ I. Literal uses.† 1. An armed expedition by land or sea. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military operations > [noun] > expedition
ferdingc1000
voyage1297
journeyc1380
hosting1422
armyc1425
hosteyingc1425
expedition1430
voyage royal1528
expedit1613
herefare1626
c1425 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Petworth) f. 1v In the grete see At many a noble armeye [c1410 Harl. 7334 ariue, c1430 Cambr. Gg.4.27 aryue] had he be.
1489 W. Caxton tr. C. de Pisan Bk. Fayttes of Armes ii. xxxviii. sig. Kviiiv They that by the see wol goo be it in armee or to som other adoo.
c1503 R. Arnold Chron. sig. Avij This yere..ye kinge made a gret army in to scotland.
1525 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles II. xvii. 33 They gette the duke of Burgoyne in great desyre to make an armye into Englande.
2. gen. An armed force, on land, sea, or in the air, formed to meet a particular need and often later disbanded; an assemblage of people equipped to fight. Now chiefly historical or with modifying word.field army, land army, people's army, private army, etc.: see the first element.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warriors collectively > [noun]
trumec893
wic897
ferredc1200
knight-weredc1275
preyc1300
legion?1316
companyc1325
punyec1330
virtuec1350
fellowshipc1380
knightheada1382
knighthooda1382
strengtha1382
sop?a1400
strengh?a1400
tropelc1425
armyc1450
framec1450
preparing1497
armourya1500
cohortc1500
cohortationc1500
cateran?a1513
venlin1541
troop1545
guidon1560
crew1570
preparation1573
esquadron1579
bodya1616
armada1654
expedition1693
armament1698
host1807
war-party1921
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 2363 Alexander with his armee [a1500 Trin. Dublin armes] in alkin rewmys Has happend ȝit ai hedire-to þe herre of his faes.
1475 in T. Rymer Fœdera (1710) XI. 849 (MED) The King..for the behovefull Defence and Publique Wele of his said Realme..Entendeth..the..hasty Setting forth of the said Army.
?a1556 Grey Friars Chron. in R. Howlett Monumenta Franciscana (1882) II. 181 The kynge went to Callys with a gret arme a-gaynst France.
1560 Bible (Geneva) Song of Sol. vi. 9 Who is she that loketh forthe as the morning, faire as the moone; pure as the sunne, terrible as an armie with banners!
1602 E. Hayes in J. Brereton Briefe Relation Discouerie Virginia 19 It shalbe also a matter of great difficulty, to transport an army ouer the Ocean.
1621 Knolles's Gen. Hist. Turkes (ed. 3) 1314 He sent a nauall armie towards the mouth of the river Danowe.
1777 J. Adams in J. Adams & A. Adams Familiar Lett. (1876) 282 Mr. Howe..was manœuvring his fleet and army in such a manner as to give us expectations of an expedition somewhere.
1856 United Service Mag. Mar. 415 Having sent an army against Feerooz, he succeeded in bringing him to terms.
1908 P. S. Dinneen in G. Keating Hist. Ireland II. 81 They got together an army to come to Ireland and avenge Ioth.
2012 M. J. Farrelly Papist Patriots ii. 92 He raised an army there by gathering together a group of displaced Marylanders.
3. spec.† a. A naval armament; an armada, a fleet. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > navy > a naval force or fleet > [noun]
fleeta1000
floteOE
ship-ferda1122
navya1382
armyc1475
armada1533
class1596
naval1627
armadilla1685
Grand Fleet1696
armament1698
maritime power1711
c1475 (?c1451) Bk. Noblesse (Royal) (1860) 15 (MED) The erle of Marche..wyth a puissaunt armee of shypps, fought wyth the carrekys and shypps lyeng at Seyn hede before Hareflue.
1545 J. Dudley Disp. 24 June in State Papers (1830) I. 791 The rest of tharmye comyng out of Thames..sholde be in the Downes.
1588 D. Archdeacon tr. (title) A true discourse of the armie [sc. the Spanish Armada]..assembled in the hauen of Lisbon.
1652 M. Nedham tr. J. Selden Of Dominion of Sea 270 The King commanded that 21000l. should bee paid to his Armie; (For so that Fleet is called every where in English Saxon) which rode at Grenewich.
1730 N. Bailey et al. Dictionarium Britannicum Division, (in Marit. Affairs) the third part of a naval army or fleet, or of one of the squadrons thereof under a general officer.
b. An organized body of soldiers trained and equipped to fight on land; a land force.Such a force is typically subdivided into a number of military units as regiments and battalions, each under its own officer, with the whole body being under the direction of an overall commander.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > [noun] > an army
ferd823
herec855
drightOE
drightfolkOE
ferdingc1000
gingOE
land-fyrd11..
hostc1290
powerc1300
preyc1300
chivalry1382
puissance1423
enarmec1430
exercite1485
force1487
armya1522
land-force1614
wall1657
ground force1929
a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1957) ii. i. l. 30 ‘Heir stude the army of Dolopeis,’ sum wald meyn, ‘Cruel Achil heir stentit his pailȝeon; Quhar stude the navy, lo the place ȝonder down.’
1579 S. Gosson Schoole of Abuse Ep. Ded. sig. ☞3 Caligula lying in Fraunce with a greate armye of fighting men.
1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning ii. sig. Qq3v Preiudiciall..to the proceedinge of an Armie, to goe about to besiege euerie little Forte, or Holde. View more context for this quotation
1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan iii. xl. 253 He appointed Joshua for the Generall of their Army.
1704 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion III. x. 84 Not keeping company with the other Officers of the Army in their jollities, and excesses.
1762 Ld. Kames Elements Crit. III. App. 405 A number of men subjected to the same military command, are termed an army.
1865 Sat. Rev. 11 Mar. 269/1 These broken armies decompose into bands of roving marauders.
1915 Times 25 Nov. 7/1 The position of the armies has been has been enormously strengthened by the abundance of ammunition.
1998 G. Hart Minuteman i. 15 The principal duty of an army rests in the defense of the homeland.
4. With the. Frequently with capital initial. The entire body of a nation's military force trained and equipped to fight on land, permanently established and formally organized and maintained. Also: the military profession.This use arose gradually in the 17th cent. from the formation in England of a permanent or standing army (standing army at standing adj. 18b) during that period. Its development can be seen in the use of the title ‘the Army’ to refer to parliamentary forces during the Civil War period (see quot. 1647) and to the king's forces during the reign of James II (see quot. ?1686). By the reign of William III the sense seems to have been fully established (see quot. 1698-9).
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > [noun]
army1698
land-force1790
brown job1943
Dad's Army1970
1647 (title) Two Letters of his Excellencie Sir Thomas Fairfax..Published at the instant desire of the Army.
?1686 King James II in Royal Tracts (1692) 13 Let no man take exception that there are some Officers in the Army not qualified according to the late Tests.]
1698–9 Act 11 William III viii, in Statutes of Realm (1820) VII. 594 (heading) An Act..to..determine the Debts due to the Army Navy and for Transport-Service.
1714 Spectator No. 566. ⁋4 A Man who goes into the Army a Coxcomb will come out of it a sort of Publick Nuisance.
1787 E. Pendleton Let. 8 Oct. in Lett. & Papers (1967) II. 499 He is to be Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy.
1860 H. Martineau in Daily News 15 Feb. 5/1 He did much better in entering the army at the age of thirteen.
1880 E. W. Hamilton Diary 24 Apr. (1972) I. 2 Childers will..not command the confidence of the Army.
1920 F. Ponsonby Grenadier Guard in Great War of 1914–18 I. v. 80 They are all men who have served in the Army, but are over the age of active fighting.
1976 ‘M. Delving’ China Expert iv. 44 Security persuaded him to leave the army, and a place was found for him in..MI5.
2013 N.Y. Times Mag. 12 May 24/3 The Army has been field-testing new camouflage.
II. Figurative and extended uses.
5. A large assemblage; a multitude, an array.
a. Of people, supernatural beings, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being gathered together > an assemblage or collection > [noun] > of people or animals > regarded as a whole or a body of people gathered > large or numerous
weredc725
herec855
heap971
trumec1380
multitudea1382
herda1400
swarm1423
confluence1447
puissance?a1475
army?1518
multitudine1547
bike1554
conflux1702
snarl1775
rallya1794
populace1823
hive1834
skreeda1838
skit1913
rort1941
?1518 Virgilius sig. Giij He raysed a great armey of people.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Kings v. 15 He [sc. Naaman] turned agayne..with all his armye.
1611 Bible (King James) Ezek. xxxvii. 10 They liued, and stood vp vpon their feet, an exceeding great armie . View more context for this quotation
1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius Voy. & Trav. J. Albert de Mandelslo i. 237 in Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors The distractions which then shook the State wherein there were eight Armies of Tories, or common Rogues.
1727 D. Defoe Ess. Hist. Apparitions v. 55 He has apparently posted an Army of ministring Spirits..round this Convex, this Globe the Earth.
1768 L. Sterne Sentimental Journey I. 25 The whole army of peregrine martyrs.
1842 Boston Investigator 15 June Dr. Beecher has been an excellent soldier in the army of the anti-progressives.
1899 Westm. Gaz. 29 Dec. 2/1 So vast was his system of subordinated labour, so numerous the army of pupils who worked under his controlling eye.
1927 Sunday Express 10 July 10 Her comments on society have roused the ire of the great army of debutantes.
2010 Esquire Nov. 47/1 A growing army of people are ditching their wallets, mortgages and worries.
b. Of qualities, attributes, words, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being gathered together > an assemblage or collection > [noun] > large or numerous
legiona1325
rout?c1335
multitudec1350
thrave1377
cloudc1384
schoola1450
meiniec1450
throng1538
ruckc1540
multitudine1547
swarm1548
regiment1575
armya1586
volley1595
pile1596
battalion1603
wood1608
host1613
armada1622
crowd1628
battalia1653
squadron1668
raffa1677
smytrie1786
raft1821
squash1884
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) i. x. sig. G The more he thought, the more he knew not what to thinke, armies of obiections rising against any accepted opinion.
1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene v. v. sig. Q4v Armies of louely lookes, and speeches wise. View more context for this quotation
1628 E. Coke 1st Pt. Inst. Lawes Eng. Pref. You shall meet with a whole Army of words.
a1674 T. Traherne Christian Ethicks (1675) 16 When we can cheerfully look on an Army of Misfortunes.
a1748 I. Watts Remnants of Time xix, in Wks. (1753) IV. 631 The army of my sins rises up before me.
1850 Sartain's Mag. July 37/2 Your whole sensitive man is invaded by an army of annoyances.
1943 I. Wolfert Tucker's People xvii. 318 The weapon of the will to self-destruction is fear. It wars with an army of fears.
2005 D. Campbell Blood Orange xxviii. 214 She did not want to try, because a small army of questions lay in wait on the other side.
6.
a. A body of people organized for a purpose or for the advancement of a cause. In later use chiefly with modifying word.Blue Ribbon Army, Church Army, Salvation Army, etc.: see the first element.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social relations > association for a common purpose > [noun] > group associated for common purpose
covinc1330
lyancec1380
university?1473
army1540
band1557
union1603
coalescence1609
confederation1621
associationa1658
confederacy1681
federation1791
brigade1806
united front1807
class movement1839
company1839
paction1877
combine1889
protest movement1898
protest group1920
minority movement1923
we1926
power1966
1540 Primer Eng. & Lat. sig. D.viv The noble army of martirs prayse the.
1669 Primer Three Offices Virgin Mary 28 Thee the white clothed army of Martyrs; doth praise.
1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 465. ¶1 Latimer, one of the glorious Army of Martyrs.
1755 Gentleman's Mag. Sept. 407/1 Amidst this army of anti-martyrs I discern a volume of peculiar appearance.
1855 C. Kingsley Glaucus 1 The ignoble army of idlers.
1879 Christian World 23 May 330/4 The band of people calling themselves ‘The Salvation Army.’
1902 M. W. Gibbs Shadow & Light xxiii. 267 The victims of her fury form a noble army of martyrs, of whom Madagascar is justly proud.
1933 ‘L. G. Gibbon’ Cloud Howe iii. 203 Stephen Mowat..wanted Robert to join the list,..a volunteer army, that was being prepared all over the country to feed the country in the Miners' strike.
2014 Sunday Express (Nexis) 2 Nov. 49 He..visited a house run by the Jesus Army in Northampton.
b. spec. Short for Salvation Army n.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > sect > Christianity > Protestantism > salvationism > [noun] > person > collective
army1877
Salvation Armyc1880
Salvo1896
Sally1915
Sally Ann1927
Sally Army1961
1877 W. Booth Heathen Eng. xi. 145 The spiritual children of the Army have been taught to trace every evil thought and word and deed back to the innate corruption of the heart.
1953 Times 13 July 3/5 A procession of cars which bore the Army's principal officers on a tour of the main towns of the country.
1970 C. Bramwell-Booth Catherine Booth vi. 377 The Army Mother gave colours to..Major Rose Clapham and her assistants who were to establish the work in South Africa.
2006 T. Herbert Trombone xi. 239 The Army was active in 63 countries by 1916.
7. A large assemblage of animals or other beings with an apparently regimented appearance and often threatening manner. Also: an organized or regimented assemblage of things.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > [noun] > action of arranging > specific people > a marshalled host
army1597
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II iii. iii. 86 Mustering..on our behalfe, Armies of pestilence. View more context for this quotation
1611 Bible (King James) Joel ii. 25 The caterpiller, and the palmer worme, my great armie . View more context for this quotation
1649 J. Taylor Wandering 8 I was furiously assualted by an Ethiopian Army of Fleas.
1708 Boston News-let. 14 June 2/2 Worms, who go forth in Armies, and lay our Corn-Fields all Desolate.
1799 R. Southey in Morning Post 27 Nov. The Cat..sat screaming, mad with fear At the Army of Rats that were drawing near.
1845 R. Whately Let. 2 Jan. in E. J. Whately Life & Corr. R. Whately (1866) II. 77 It is time that these two armies [sc. the two opposing parties in the House of Commons] should as soon as possible be disbanded.
1884 H. D. Traill New Lucian 116 I would that the hosts of darkness were thus immiscibly divided from the army of light.
1898 Argosy Apr. 75 Then, with Sir Paul's pennon leading the van, and our little army of spears bristling behind.
1938 E. Bowen Death of Heart ii. iii. 219 An army of evening shoes was drawn up under the bureau.
1975 R. Donaldson & M. Joseph Wilderness 44 An army of inch-long ants spilled out bristling for war.
2012 Daily Tel. 6 Mar. 27/1 We depend on a vast army of microbes to stay alive.
Phrases
P1.
army of occupation n. an army left to occupy a newly conquered country or region until the conclusion of hostilities or establishment of a settled government. [Compare French armeé d'occupation (1835).]
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > victory > [noun] > occupation > specific
army of occupation1815
occupation1940
AMGOT1943
society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > [noun] > other types of army
army royalc1405
royal army1617
army of occupation1815
private army1857
1815 Morning Post 25 Nov. The troops not belonging to the Army of Occupation leave France..after the signature of the principal treaty.
1920 Amer. Woman Aug. 8/1 Our American boys in the Army of Occupation want permission to marry German girls!
2000 Guardian 10 June i. 26/6 He served with his regiment in the army of occupation in Japan.
P2. colloquial. you and whose (also what) army?: expressing incredulity or scepticism about a person's ability to do a threatened or threatening deed; cf. who pron. and n..
ΚΠ
1930 J. D. Carr It walks by Night 168 Say, brother, it'll take you and what army to put me outa this place?
1963 Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune 20 Mar. 5 (caption) You and what army, buster?
1975 J. Rosenthal Bar Mitzvah Boy & Other Television Plays (1987) 91 Neville (to Danny): Hit him. Danny (a touch scared): I will in a minute. Alec: Yeah? You and whose army?
2003 K. Shay Trust in Me 56 Doc cackled. ‘Yeah? You and whose army?’
P3. army of reserve: see reserve n. 1a.
Compounds
C1.
a. attributive (chiefly in sense 4).
(a) General attributive, as army regulations, army slang, etc.Some of the more established compounds of this type are entered separately at Compounds 1a(b).
ΚΠ
1660 O. Cromwell's Thankes to Ld. Gen. 13 He turn'd an Army-blade, Till honest George them Fools had made, And brought the Rump in scent.
1663 J. Heath Hist. Cromwell 12 [Cromwell] packs up a Juncto of Army Blades..who constitute a High Court of Justice.
1789 T. Holcroft tr. King Frederick II Posthumous Wks. IX. clvii. 287 I am going to..change the army regulations.
1820 House of Representatives Doc. (16th Congress 2nd Sess.) No. 45. 11 The articles marked thus (*) in this section (VI.) to be copied out of the blue book containing the present army regulations.
1891 C. Dawson Let. 19 Feb. in R. S. Churchill Winston S. Churchill (1967) I. Compan. i. v. 228 I was so glad to hear you had successfully passed the ‘Army Prelim’, allow me to congratulate you.
1919 Athenæum 1 Aug. 695/1 Regimental, an Old Army adjective for a strict disciplinarian.
1967 Everybody's Mag. (Austral.) 18 Jan. 36/2 Today, in Vietnam, Australians are again catching up on American Army slang.
1983 Sunday Times 30 Oct. (Colour Suppl.) 39/4 Army regulations appear to have been altered to permit convicted ‘refuseniks’ to be served with new call-up orders the moment they leave prison.
1986 W. Safire in N.Y. Times Mag. 20 Apr. 14/5 To a New Zealander, sandbag duff is army pudding made from ground biscuit.
2012 New Yorker 17 Dec. 54/2 Its principles were incorporated into Army doctrine.
(b)
army council n.
ΚΠ
1659 R. P. tr. D. Petau Hist. World Contin. x. iv. 487 The Generall, and Army-Councell..seconded with a Declaration resolving to cleave to the Parliament.
1868 W. E. Gladstone Juventus Mundi (1870) xi. 431 The members of the Army-council contend freely in argument with Agamemnon.
2000 Sunday Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 2 July 11 Individuals devoted to fomenting race war take action themselves, without the authority of any governing body or army council.
army man n.
ΚΠ
1648 J. Price Pulpit Incendiary 42 These contemptible Army-men put their lives in their hands.
1736 J. Kelly Fall of Bob iii. 24 Lawyers by ruin live, your Bawds by billing, But Army Men and Doctors live by killing.
2004 Guardian 12 Nov. i. 7/1 Harry will metamorphose from being a royal to a human being and then from a civilian to an army man all within a few months.
army personnel n.
ΚΠ
1875 Times of India 19 Feb. 2/2 Advisers..in all matters affecting the physical condition of the army personnel.
1940 Pop. Sci. Monthly June 111/1 Technicians, together with radio and telephone operators, pilots, staff officers, and other Army personnel.
2009 C. Phillips My Story xiv. 245 The Ministry of Defence wanted to show what life was like for army personnel and their families living..in the barracks.
army uniform n.
ΚΠ
1782 Public Advertiser 23 July This Alteration in providing the several Army Uniforms is proved..to be beneficial to the Property of the Public.
1867 M. A. Livermore in J. C. B. Hoge Boys in Blue 317 I met a cheery-faced lad, dressed in the army uniform, who had lost a leg.
1910 T. Liefeld Faces & Phases German Life 163 To receive the attentions of a man in army uniform is..the dream of the servant in the kitchen.
2010 Sunday Tel. Mag. (Austral.) (Nexis) 18 July 24 He was buried in his army uniform, wearing his medals.
b. Designating a person holding a particular rank or position within the army, as army captain, army officer, army surgeon, etc.
ΚΠ
?1571 tr. Lett. from Venice sig. B.iiijv The armie generall of the Emperour.
1646 T. Edwards 3rd Pt. Gangræna 250 The Earle of Essexe's Army Chaplaine.
1662 Brief Narr. Stupendious Trag. 37 Tonge, an old Army Captain, but now a Seller of Tobacco and Strong-water in Tower-Ditch.
1701 W. Burnaby Ladies Visiting-day i. 6 I have heard of, a Militia Capt. that by aiming to pass for an Army Officer, over does it, and looks ridiculous.
1785 Gentleman's Mag. Jan. 14/1 This most skilful physician was superseded to make way for one who..had been an army surgeon.
1819 S. Cooper First Lines Surg. (ed. 4) 206 Army surgeons..always..extract the ball as soon as possible.
1888 Dict. National Biogr. (1908) V. 706/1 This appointment of trusted army officers was unquestionably made chiefly from political motives.
1895 Daily News 14 Nov. 6/2 Upon her mother's remarrying with..an army surgeon.
1913 W. Owen Let. 16 June (1967) 188 I share a sitting-room with a young army captain.
1934 G. B. Shaw Too True to be Good iii. 86 When I was wounded and lost my nerve for flying, I became an army chaplain.
1967 Observer 30 Apr. 11/8 A..keen-eyed Army colonel..talks to you about ‘the nuts and bolts’ of the programme.
1994 Denver Post 30 Jan. b2/1 Army officers had asked the court to be exempted from Colorado environmental laws while detoxifying the 27-square-mile arsenal.
2011 New Yorker 16 May 30/3 An Army pilot..went down with his Black Hawk in Afghanistan.
c. Designating a person working on behalf of, in connection with, or in business for, the army, as army agent, army broker, army clothier, army contractor, etc.
ΚΠ
1766 Court & City Kalendar (ed. 3) (title page) Added to this Edition, Lists of Navy Chaplains and Army Agents.
1789 Fortescue 240 I proceeded to an army broker, and soon agreed upon the price of your promotion.
1802 J. Orrok Lett. (1927) 15 Mr. Carstairs, the Army Agent, wanted a young Man a Clerk in his Office.
1817 S. T. Coleridge Biogr. Lit. 242 Whose father had made a large fortune..as an army-contractor.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 547 He had become an army clothier.
1870 Pall Mall Gaz. 19 Oct. 11 Accompanied by an army-furnisher.
1914 T. H. Russell Great War Europe vii. 114 There were wagons filled with army cobblers..who were mending soldiers' shoes.
1983 J. Varley Millennium i. 11 An aeronautical engineer..got his start..because the Army recruiter rejected him.
1993 Dict. National Biogr.: Missing Persons 424/1 His importance lies in his combined role as army agent, official correspondent, and parliamentary licenser of newsbooks and pamphlets.
2013 Washington Post (Nexis) 30 June c1 Army contractors are now measuring the potential health risk of exposure to high levels of arsenic.
d. Designating equipment or installations intended for use by the army, as army ambulance, army base, army blanket, army depot, army lorry, etc.
ΚΠ
1803 J. Orrok Lett. (1927) 33 Orders to proceed to the Isle of Wight where I was a few days at the Headquarters of the Army Depot.
1865 H. James Story of Year in Compl. Tales (1962) I. 91 She took..an old army blanket. She wrapped it round her.
1895 Househ. News (Philadelphia) Nov. 502 Margaret, Dorothy, and their mamma, with Sullivan, the ‘striker’, for driver, rode in a big army ambulance, drawn by two real army mules.
1919 Daily Mail 12 June 4/4 We grasped at the relieving ‘lorribus’ (the converted Army lorry doing the duty as an emergency omnibus).
1935 Sun (Baltimore) 16 Apr. 4/1 900 applicants were put through medical examinations and transported to army camps.
1942 National Geographic Mag. June 741/1 From the Army base at Vieux Fort I went one morning to see the sulphur pits and fumaroles of Soufrière.
1973 Nature 5 Oct. 231/1 The stockpiles of lethal nerve gases that are now stored in army depots throughout the United States.
1993 D. Robinson Good Clean Fight (BNC) 374 A truck howled past, towing a small piece of artillery. An army ambulance followed.
2007 Townsville (Queensland) Bull. (Nexis) 19 Apr. (Features section) 19 The old Aussie saddle blanket was usually an old grey army blanket doubled over.
e. Designating a person closely connected to a member of the army, as army brat (U.S. Military slang), army wife, etc.
ΚΠ
1880 S. Austin Pat xiv. 177 ‘Poor little Robin. Poor, poor civilian’, say the army children when they hear it.
1882 C. King in United Service Mar. 325 Owing probably to the dearth of young and unmarried ladies, the army wife retains all the hold she ever had upon bellehood.
1945 L. Shelly Hepcats Jive Talk Dict. iv. 43/1 Army brat, son or daughter of Army officer.
1975 ‘J. Bell’ Victim i. 17 All the vulgar arrogance of an overseas army wife between the wars.
1989 T. Parker Place called Bird iv. 4 I was an army child: I was born in Wisconsin, and I lived in..several other places too.
1991 Time 4 Feb. 29/3 A bristling self-assurance..that many Army brats acquire with their first pair of long pants.
2003 Independent 18 Oct. i. 21/5 Army wives don't become embroiled in their husband's professional schedules in the way that politician's wives do.
C2.
army ant n. any of numerous predatory ants, mainly of tropical and subtropical regions, which forage in large aggressive groups and do not form a permanent nest (cf. driver ant).This behaviour is shown by over 200 species of ant in at least four subfamilies; the most prominent genera among them are Eciton (Central and South America), Dorylus (Africa and Asia), and Aenictus (Old World).
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Hymenoptera > [noun] > suborder Apocrita, Petiolata, or Heterophaga > group Aculeata (stinging) > ant > army ant
visiting ant1855
army ant1870
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Hymenoptera > [noun] > suborder Apocrita, Petiolata, or Heterophaga > group Aculeata (stinging) > ant > member of genus Dorylus
driver ant1843
driver1847
army ant1870
safari ant1910
siafu1959
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Hymenoptera > [noun] > suborder Apocrita, Petiolata, or Heterophaga > group Aculeata (stinging) > ant > member of genus Eciton (forager)
forager1863
army ant1870
1862 C. N. Bell in Jrnl. Royal Geogr. Soc. 32 266 The most remarkable [ants of the Mosquito Territory] are the ‘Tarring’ or marching-army ants: these make periodical forays in search of prey.]
1870 Frank Leslie's Pleasant Hours 7 361 The army ants of Africa, that peregrinate and devastate whole sections of country, devouring every living thing in their track.
1961 P. Gray Encycl. Biol. Sci. 41/1 Ant colonies may contain..several millions, as in the African Anomma army ants.
2008 Independent 7 Aug. (Extra section) 22/3 Back in the forest, a platoon of army ants were about to feast on some just-hatched wren chicks.
army barracks n. (also in singular army barrack) a set of buildings used as a residence for army personnel, esp. soldiers.
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society > armed hostility > military organization > logistics > quartering > [noun] > quarters > barracks
barrack1697
army barracks1778
military barracks1848
cuartel1852
1778 London Gaz. No. 11869. 1/2 His Majesty landed at the Yard, and proceeded to the Army Barracks.
1807 Leeds Mercury 13 June 1/2 (advt.) Dye woods..suited for mattresses and beds, for the army barracks and the navy.
1900 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 3 Feb. 10/6 The castle part is now used as an army barrack.
2011 A. Sanders Inside IRA viii. 243 The likelihood of innocent civilians being killed in a midnight attack on an Army barracks..is considerably lower.
army boot n. a boot worn as part of army uniform; (now) spec. a rubber-soled boot of hard leather, typically laced and extending above the ankle; (also) a boot of this type worn as a fashion item.
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1840 J. Bowring Rep. Egypt & Candia 56 in Parl. Papers XXI. 1 About 50 pair of army boots are made per day by about 40 workmen.
1929 Boys' Life Dec. 64/4 The spurs of his army boots would persist in getting caught in the wires.
1997 C. Coulter Maze (2005) 113 He was dressed in camouflage fatigues with black army boots laced up to the top.
2013 Daily Star (Nexis) 8 Aug. 12 (caption) Model Daisy..kept her cute style wearing a dainty dress and army boots while walking her dog.
army checkpoint n. a checkpoint manned by the army, esp. one at which drivers must stop to have their vehicles, documents, etc., inspected.
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1945 Racine (Wisconsin) Jrnl.-Times 21 June 2/4 More than 5,000 refugees passed an American Army checkpoint on the..autobahn near Weimar.
1975 Times 24 Jan. 2/4 A large bomb in a hijacked van extensively damaged a permanent Army checkpoint near Newry.
2012 J. Bowen Arab Uprisings ix. 274 Two army checkpoints had sprung up on the road back to the highway.
army cooperation n. cooperation between army and the air force or the navy; frequently attributive.
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society > armed hostility > military organization > [noun] > liaison or co-operation
liaison1816
army cooperation1864
multilateralization1941
1864 Army & Navy Jrnl. (U.S.) 10 Dec. 243/2 An object earnestly cherished by the navy, but which had been delayed for army coöperation, was the possession of the bay of Mobile.
1935 C. G. Burge Compl. Bk. Aviation 532/2 Co-operation with the army is performed by army co-operation aircraft.
2007 J. F. O'Connell Effectiveness Airpower II. 95 War Office personnel proposed one Army Cooperation squadron per division.
army corps n. a main subdivision of an army in the field, consisting of several divisions.
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society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > branch of army > [noun]
arm1761
army corps1783
1783 9th Rep. Commissioners Public Accts. 25 Our Regulations have been applied to the Circumstances of a marching Regiment of Foot: In other of the Army Corps..these Circumstances vary.
1892 Harper's Mag. May 870/1 Prussia, together with the remaining states, puts up sixteen army corps.
2008 M. V. Armstrong Unfurl those Colors! ii. 30 Napoleon believed that an army corps could engage and hold its own against a superior enemy force for up to twenty-four hours.
army cutworm n. North American any of several kinds of noctuid moth caterpillar often occurring in destructive swarms and attacking cereal crops and other vegetation, esp. that of Chorizagrotis auxiliaris of western North America; (also) the adult moth; cf. army worm n.
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1907 Anaconda (Montana) Standard 22 Apr. 10/4 It may be called the ‘army cutworm’ (chorizagrotis auxiliaris).
1992 R. I. Shepherd et al. Managem. Black Army Cutworm 1 Newly planted seedlings are more likely to be severely damaged by the black army cutworm if they have been planted in certain biogeoclimatic zones.
2013 J. Diamond & A. B. Bond Concealing Coloration Animals 192 Moths are taken by a wide array of birds, lizards, and even grizzly bears, which feed on vast quantities of hibernating adults of the army cutworm.
army debenture n. now rare (historical) a security for money lent on behalf of the army.
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society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > stocks, shares, or bonds > [noun] > bond > debenture > types of
army debenture1700
mortgage debenture1847
irredeemable debenture1900
irredeemable1952
1700 Post Man 1 Aug. (advt.) Transport debentures, army debentures, malt tickets, tallies.
1810 J. Britton Beauties Eng. & Wales X. 654 This company..was projected as a means of funding about nine millions and a half of floating debt, in navy and army debentures.
2004 R. Dale First Crash iii. 44 The Sword Blade Company exchanged new stock for outstanding army debentures.
army disposal n. (also in plural army disposals) Australian surplus army goods offered for sale to the public (frequently attributive); (also, in plural) the government agency responsible for, or a shop selling, such goods; cf. army surplus n. army disposal store n. a shop selling army disposal goods.
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1945 Northern Argus (Clare, S. Austral.) 11 Jan. 2/2 (advt.) Applications will now be received for the purchase of Army Disposal Motor Vehicles.
1945 Sydney Morning Herald 24 July 2/6 I'm wondering whether it wouldn't be best..to buy a discarded steel helmet from Army disposals.
1946 Northern Star (Lismore, New S. Wales) 1 Mar. 8/7 (advt.) For sale, at E. Baker's Army Disposal Store.
1961 G. Farwell Vanishing Australians 135 He bought a prefabricated iron house from Army Disposals.
1994 P. Carey Unusual Life Tristan Smith i. xliii. 160 He brushed the cigarette ash from his baggy Army Disposals trousers.
2001 Advertiser (Austral.) (Nexis) 11 June 18 He bought a theodolite for $20 from army disposals.
2009 J. Kent Making of J. Gillard iii. 35 Like most students she did a lot of her shopping at army disposal stores.
army estimate n. British Politics (now historical) (in plural, frequently with capital initials) a statement of proposed expenditure on the army presented annually before Parliament until the 1960s (cf. estimate n. 2b).Now merged with the broader estimates of the Ministry of Defence (cf. War Office n. 1).
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1742 Hist. & Proc. House of Commons 7 56 The Army-Estimates are brought into the House.
1894 Times 17 Mar. 9/6 When any financial pressure occurred.., it was deemed the easiest thing in the world to take £500,000 or £1,000,000 from the Army Estimates.
1929 G. F. M. Campion Introd. Procedure House of Commons viii. 236 The Navy estimates, Army Estimates and Air Estimates are composed of a Vote A for men, and a number of Votes for money.
2008 Oxf. Dict. National Biogr. (Electronic ed.) 23 Jan. at St. John, Henry The secretary spoke regularly on military affairs in the Commons as he piloted recruiting bills and army estimates through the house.
army fatigues n. clothing worn by soldiers for fatigue duty or for combat, typically khaki, olive drab, or camouflage in colour; (also) clothing of this type worn as a fashion item.
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1943 San Antonio (Texas) Sunday Light 10 Jan. ii. 1/5 Men in army fatigues work next to civilians in blue denims in the blacksmith shops.
1973 T. Kelly M.A.S.H. 118 The general costuming consists of olive drab army fatigues.
1987 D. Rose Black Amer. Street Life (1991) iii. 123 He had on a French beret, something resembling a Navy peacoat, Army fatigues, and low-cut black shoes.
2008 Evening Standard (Nexis) 20 May 4 I..sat alongside one soldier, dressed in his green army fatigues, who put his arm around my shoulder.
army issue n. that which is issued or supplied by the army, esp. equipment or clothing; now chiefly attributive or as adj.In quot. 1806: that which is supplied to the army.
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1806 C. Abbot Diary 11 Sept. in Diary & Corr. (1861) II. xxv. 78 The necessary money Bills and votes for providing the army issues in January.
1875 Rep. Special Comm. Affairs Red Cloud Indian Agency (U.S.) 496 They were not such [cattle] as we would have received for Army issues.
1918 McClure's Mag. Sept. 7/1 Four thousand pairs of army-issue shoes.
1970 R. Beilby No Medals for Aphrodite 240 Snow's false teeth were the joke of the section... They were army issue and ill-fitting.
2010 A. Urquhart Forgotten Highlander v. 156 My army-issue clothes..had long since rotted from my frame.
army jacket n. a jacket worn as part of army uniform; (now also) any of various styles of casual jacket resembling those in army use.
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1843 Times 8 July 12/6 (advt.) Navy and Marine Clothing and Victualling Stores... Navy and army jackets.
1861 Southern Cultivator Oct. 273/2 One roundabout, or army jacket, of the same material.
1941 L. Fischer Men & Politics v. 54 Many of the delegates were still in old military uniforms and leather army jackets.
2013 MailOnline (Nexis) 16 Apr. She undoubtedly turned heads in flared bell-bottom jeans..and an olive mid-length army jacket.
army list n. an official list of commissioned officers in the British army.
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society > armed hostility > military organization > [noun] > other lists
roster1727
sick-list1748
size-roll1757
army list1763
retired list1797
succession1805
blacklist1825
active list1827
1763 North Briton 19 July 56 The military English shall be considered..when all the Scots are provided for. But..is not the army already surcharged with them? The army list (cooked as it is) can best determine that point.
1814 W. Scott Waverley III. xiv. 187 This good lady had the whole army-list by heart. View more context for this quotation
1935 G. Greene Basement Room & Other Stories 152 He would look up his record in the old Army Lists when he got home.
2009 North Devon Jrnl. (Nexis) 3 Dec. 54 He is still on the Army List and holds an active rank of substantive Colonel.
army ranger n. U.S. Military (originally) a member of the army engaged in protective or non-combat duties in a particular area (cf. ranger n.1 5a); (now) spec. a member of an elite United States Army unit specially trained for close combat and raiding; = ranger n.1 5b.The 1st United States Army Ranger Battalion was activated in June 1942.
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society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > soldier of specific force or unit > [noun]
spahi1562
legionnaire1595
strelitz1603
Croat1623
deli1667
Croatian1700
lancer1712
highlander1725
lambs1744
royals1762
light-bob1778
fly-slicer1785
Life Guardsman1785
royals?1795
Hottentot1796
yeoman1798
pandour1800
Faugh-a-Ballaghsc1811
forty-two man1816
kilty1842
Zouave1848
bumblerc1850
Inniskilliner1853
blue cap1857
turco1860
Zou-Zou1860
mudlark1878
king's man1883
Johnny1888
Piffer1892
evzone1897
horse gunner1897
dink1906
army ranger1910
grognard1912
Jock1914
chocolate soldier1915
Cook's tourist1915
dinkum1916
Anzaca1918
choc1917
ranger1942
Chindit1943
Desert Rat1944
Green Beret1949
1910 Berkeley (Calif.) Daily Gaz. 16 Aug. 1/2 He hopes the army rangers can control the flames. The fires already are the most disastrous in the history of the [forestry] service.
1937 Fayetteville (Arkansas) Daily Democrat 3 Feb. 1/8 Fourteen army rangers prepared food that fed a line of 7,000 negroes at one meal in the Forrest City camp.
1942 Havre (Montana) Daily News 19 Aug. 1/4 Allied forces including United States army ranger troops landed on the French coast today.
1989 B. Palmer Intervention in Caribbean ix. 170 Army rangers made a low-level parachute assault to seize the uncompleted Point Salines military airfield.
2014 Independent (Nexis) 21 June 8 Most will be drawn..from Green Berets, Army Rangers and Navy Seals who have extensive experience in Iraq and Afghanistan.
army reserve n. (in singular or plural) a reserve force of soldiers maintained by a state in addition to its regular army; cf. reserve n. 1c.Elsewhere in the article cited in quot. 1804 the term Army of reserve is used: cf. reserve n. 1a.
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1804 Bury & Norwich Post 8 Feb. 644/5 Mr. Ridge, Agent for the Army Reserve.
1807 ‘Q. Queerum’ Ashburner's New Vocal & Poetic Repository 97 Then Britons, since this is the Corsican's plan, Let him see we are ready, aye, all to a man To treat the invader as boasters deserve, And make him lay down to our Army Reserve.
1897 G. C. Craig Federal Def. Australasia xiv. 201 Every corps, battery, troop, regiment, brigade, or division must be Federal, no matter whether they be Permanent, Militia, Volunteers, Army Reserves.., or Conscript Reserves.
1957 Boys' Life Oct. 22/2 To fulfill his military obligation to his country, he had joined an army reserve unit in Scottsburg, Indiana.
2014 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 14 Jan. 6 The newly-renamed Army Reserve—formerly the Territorial Army—is being expanded from 19,000 to 30,000.
army reservist n. [probably after German Armeereservist (1837 or earlier)] a member of the army reserve.In quot. 1859 with reference to the army of the Austrian empire.
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1859 N.Y. Herald 10 July 2/5 In time of peace the soldiers of the infantry are kept under arms not longer than four years, and then sent home under the name of ‘Army reservists’.
1878 West-End News (London) 4 May (headline) A patriotic army reservist.
1950 Pop. Mech. July 44 (advt.) He and thousands of other Army Reservists are quietly, seriously undergoing peacetime training.
2013 Sunday Tel. (Nexis) 17 Mar. 1 It will also attack plans to double the number of army reservists to 30,000.
Army Service Corps n. now disused a corps of the British army responsible for the provision of food, equipment, transport, and other services; abbreviated A.S.C.The Army Service Corps was formed in 1869 to replace the Commissariat (commissariat n. 2a) and in 1918 it became the Royal Army Service Corps. In 1965 it was split into the Royal Corps of Transport and Royal Army Ordnance Corps. These two corps merged with three others in 1993 to form the Royal Logistic Corps.
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society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > branch of army > [noun] > administration and supply branches
baggage1603
field train1692
Corps of Wagoners1802
wagon-corps1810
subsistence department1820
baggage-train1841
rear echelon1852
Control Department1867
Army Service Corps1869
A.S.C.1871
pay corps1876
Q1916
echelon1922
1869 Pall Mall Gaz. 8 May 3/2 Colonel Evelegh, C. B., late barrackmaster at the Curragh, is likely to be placed at the head of the new ‘Army Service Corps’.
1871 Hansard CCVI. 961 The Army Service Corps is divided into three branches—supply, transport, and stores, with officers and men attached.
1916 ‘B. Cable’ Action Front 124 Army Service Corps supply points.
2013 Times (Nexis) 18 May (Features section) 85 Generals from neutral Spain..are seen cheekily fingering bread as it leaves an Army Service Corps bakery in Rouen.
army surplus n. clothing, outdoor equipment, etc., which is surplus to the army's requirements, often distributed or sold to the public; frequently attributive. army surplus store n. a shop selling army surplus goods.
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1905 Times 18 July 3/3 Their desire was to induce Lord Milner to take over as large an amount of the Army surplus as possible.
1919 N.Y. Times 5 Aug. 17/8 Plans for the distribution of army surplus foods.
1921 Mich. Chimes Mar. 37/1 (advt.) Wool army shirts... Wool laced breeches... Army Surplus Store 213 North 4th Avenue.
1964 C. Hamblett & J. Deverson Generation X 180 The men all seem to have been kitted out by the Army Surplus store, with their blue duffle jackets..and cloth kangol caps.
1989 T. Clancy Clear & Present Danger v. 83 At the foot of each bed was a genuine Army-surplus footlocker.
2003 A. Collins Where did it all go Right? 79 Simon, though only seven,..has discovered ‘army surplus.’
army unit n. a number of soldiers acting together as an organized group.
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society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > unit of army > [noun] > division
battle1330
left winga1450
right winga1450
parsmenta1522
partimenta1522
battalion1589
division1600
battaliaa1616
fight1622
army unit1847
mobile unit1896
air arm1913
reaction force1923
1847 D. H. Mahan Elem. Treat. Adv.-guard, Out-post, & Detachment Service Troops 11 The syntagma of 16 files, which was the army unit,..was commanded by a Syntagmatarch.
1914 Glasgow News 22 Dec. 4 The map was bristling with wax-headed pins of great variety in size and colour. They represented army units.
1993 Coloradoan (Fort Collins) 28 Aug. a1/5 Among the..troops dispatched to Somalia this week were members of..an elite Army unit tailored for..fast surgical strikes.
army worm n. chiefly North American any of several kinds of noctuid moth caterpillar often occurring in destructive swarms and attacking cereal crops and other vegetation; (also) the adult moth; cf. army cutworm n.
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the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Heterocera > [noun] > member of (moth) > young > destructive
army worm1819
moth-borer1900
1819 D. Thomas Trav. Western Country 155 The army worm..has ravaged the meadows.
1852 J. D. B. De Bow Industr. Resources Southern & Western States I. 171 They..lay millions of eggs..and thus they increase until they deserve the name of army worm.
1995 W. Olkowski et al. Gardener's Guide Common-sense Pest Control xiii. 229 (table) Spodoptera eridania southern armyworm. S. exigua beet armyworm. S. frugiperda fall armyworm.
2009 Independent 28 Jan. 26/3 (caption) The inch-long army worms above, are clogging wells with excrement.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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