From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Soldier
Soldier
Soldier of military employment, their type of unit, or operational
employment or technical use such as: trooper, tanker,
commando, dragoon, infantryman, marine, paratrooper,
ranger, sniper, engineer, sapper, medic, or a gunner.
German soldiers in Bosnia
Occupation
Activity sectors Military
Description
Competencies Physical
Stamina
Mindset U.S. Army soldiers on patrol in Iraq
A soldier is a member of the land component of national
armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a for-
eign army would be termed a mercenary.[1] The major-
ity of cognates of the word "soldier" that exist in other
languages have a meaning that embraces both commis-
sioned and non-commissioned officers in national land
forces.
Etymology
The word soldier entered modern English in the 14th cen-
tury, from the equivalent Middle English word soudeour,
from Anglo-French soudeer or soudeour, meaning merce- British Army soldiers on exercise
nary, from soudee, meaning shilling’s worth or wage,
from sou or soud, shilling.[2] The word is also related to
the Medieval Latin soldarius, meaning soldier (literally,
"one having pay").[3] These words were ultimately de-
rived from the Late Latin word solidus, referring to an An-
cient Roman coin used in the Byzantine Empire.[2][3]
Occupational designations
In most armed forces use of the word soldier has taken on
a more general meaning, due to the increasing special-
ization of military occupations that require different ar-
eas of knowledge and skill-sets. As a result, "soldiers" are
referred to by names or ranks which reflect an individ-
Canadian Army soldiers on urban warfare training
ual’s military occupation specialty arm, service or branch
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Soldier
Other terms • Airman
• Marine
In many countries soldiers serving in specific occupa-
tions are referred to by terms other than their occupa-
tional name. For example military police personnel in
References
the UK are known as "redcaps" from the colour of their [1] "mercenary." The American Heritage Dictionary of
berets or other headwear. the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton
In the United States Army and the United States Mifflin Company, 2004. 16 May 2009.
Marine Corps, infantrymen are called "grunts", while ar- Dictionary.com
tillerymen are sometimes referred to as "redlegs", from http://dictionary1.classic.reference.com/browse/
the branch color for artillery. US soldiers are often called mercenary
"G.I.s". [2] ^ Mish, Frederick C., ed (2004). "soldier". Merriam-
French Marine Infantry are called marsouins (French: Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th edition ed.).
porpoises) because of their amphibious role.[citation needed] Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.
Military units in most armies have nicknames of this ISBN 0-87779-809-5.
type, arising either from items of distinctive uniform, [3] ^ Harper, Douglas (2010). "Online Etymology
some historical connotation or rivalry between branches Dictionary". http://www.etymonline.com/.
or regiments. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
See also External links
• Seaman
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Soldier&oldid=466728663"
Categories:
• Military life
• Military personnel
• Military occupations
• Soldiers
• Combat occupations
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