Definition

Noun: - A military unit composed of foreign volunteers who serve a state: The Foreign Legion is a unique military corps where individuals from other countries enlist to serve, often under specific terms and conditions, for a nation that is not their own.

Usage

The term is used to refer specifically to such military formations, most famously the French Foreign Legion. It describes the institution itself, not the individual soldiers.

Examples

Advanced Usage

• "To join the foreign legion": This is a common phrase meaning to enlist in this specific military unit, often implying a drastic life change or a desire to escape one's previous circumstances.
• The concept is sometimes used metaphorically to describe any group composed of outsiders or mercenaries working for a common cause, though this is an extended, figurative use.

Variants and Related Words

• Legionnaire (noun): A member of a foreign legion.
  • The legionnaire served for five years in North Africa.
• Legion (noun): While "legion" alone can mean a large military unit or a vast number of people, in this specific context, it is shorthand for "foreign legion."

Synonyms

• Mercenary force: While similar, this term emphasizes soldiers fighting for pay rather than patriotism and may not imply the formal, state-integrated structure of a foreign legion.
• Volunteer corps: A broader term for a military unit composed of volunteers.

Notes on Meaning

The "Foreign Legion" (often capitalized) is a proper noun referring to specific historical and existing units, primarily the French Foreign Legion. In a general sense, "a foreign legion" can describe any similar military body formed from foreign volunteers serving a host country.

Noun

1. a military unit composed of foreign volunteers who serve the state