elephantry

plural elephantries

1. historicalgovernmentA branch of an army that uses elephants.

   Ashok maintained a large army (infantry) more than nine lakhs, a few thousand cavalries and elephantries.

   2005, K. K. Sinha, “A Brief History of the Ancient Indian Achievements”, in Oriental and Western Science and Cosmology, Mumbai: Allied Publishers, →ISBN, page 31

   3 more examples

   But, juſt before we took the Field, we demoliſhed our Elephantry, and to be more on a Level with the Baboons, introduced Monkies upon lean Cats, and thoſe too a little wild, becauſe we could maintain them very cheap, Monkies being content with Nuts, and Cats with any Thing.

   1747 February 5, “Nº 83. Thursday, February 5, 1747”, in The Fool: Being a Collection of Essays and Epistles, Moral, Political, Humourous^([sic]), and Entertaining. Published in the Daily Gazetteer. With the Author's Preface, and a Complete Index, volume II, London: Printed, and sold, by Nutt, Cooke and Kingman, at the Royal Exchange; [et al.], published 1748, →OCLC, pages 258–259

   The king replied in a proclamation to his subjects that he was going to appear in person "with large forces of infantry, artillery, elephantry, and cavalry, by land and water, and with the might of his army efface these heretic Kalas, and annex their country."

   1889, William W[otherspoon] Ireland, Through the Ivory Gate: Studies in Psychology and History, Edinburgh: Bell & Bradfute, 12 Bank Street; London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co., and Hamilton, Adams & Co., →OCLC, page 309

   The elephantry always preceded the army and was primarily used to clear the road, demolish enemy forts, launch night attacks and for defending their own forts and in transporting war materials.

   2003, Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa, Generalissimo Chilarai and His Times: A Historical Biography, 2nd edition, Ghy, Assam, India: Vikram Publishers, →OCLC, page 390