Etymology

army

A1R1M3Y4

Today it means: A large, highly organized military force, concerned mainly with ground (rather than air or naval) operations. Full definition →

Middle English armee ← Anglo-Norman armee ← Latin armātus
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army · noun1

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂er-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂(e)rmos
  3. Proto-Italic*armos
  4. Latinarma
  5. Latinarmō
  6. Latinarmātus
  7. Anglo-Normanarmee
  8. Middle Englisharmee
  9. English todayarmy

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.

ARMY · noun2

From an acronym/backronym based on army ("Adorable Representative for MC Youth"), suggesting a large, devoted fanbase.

Words from the same roots

Medieval Latinarmāta all →

armada

Proto-Indo-European*h₂er- all →

archiveharmonyarchipelagoarmatolehomo Aristophaneusordoliberalordoliberalismsuborn

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.