MILITIA

militia, reserves

(noun) civilians trained as soldiers but not part of the regular army

militia

(noun) the entire body of physically fit civilians eligible by law for military service; “their troops were untrained militia”; “Congress shall have power to provide for calling forth the militia”--United States Constitution

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

militia (plural militias or militiae)

An army of trained civilians, which may be an official reserve army, called upon in time of need, the entire able-bodied population of a state which may also be called upon, or a private force not under government control.

The national police force of certain countries (e.g. Belarus).

Source: Wiktionary


Mi*li"tia, n. Etym: [L., military service, soldiery, fr. miles, militis, soldier: cf. F. milice.]

1. In the widest sense, the whole military force of a nation, including both those engaged in military service as a business, and those competent and available for such service; specifically, the body of citizens enrolled for military instruction and discipline, but not subject to be called into actual service except in emergencies. The king's captains and soldiers fight his battles, and yet... the power of the militia is he. Jer. Taylor.

2. Military service; warfare. [Obs.] Baxter.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

27 February 2025

SUMMIT

(verb) reach the summit (of a mountain); “They breasted the mountain”; “Many mountaineers go up Mt. Everest but not all summit”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, on 25 September 2016, the Birla Institute of Management Technology (India) in Uttar Pradesh, India, constructed the largest coffee cups pyramid consisting of 23,821 cups. They used paper takeaway coffee cups to build the pyramid.

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