trainband
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A company of militia in England or America from the 16th century to the 18th century: A "trainband" was a local, part-time military unit composed of citizens, primarily for home defense. It was a precursor to more formalized militia and national guard systems.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Every able-bodied man in the town was expected to serve in the local trainband.
- The colonial trainbands were often poorly equipped but played a crucial role in community defense.
Advanced Usage
- Historical Context: The term is almost exclusively used in historical writing to describe early modern citizen-soldiers. It is not used for contemporary military units.
- The historian's paper analyzed the social composition of the London trainbands in the 1640s.
Variants and Related Words
- Trainbands (plural noun): The standard plural form.
- The trainbands of various counties assembled for the royal review.
Synonyms
- Militia company: A group of non-professional soldiers organized for local defense.
- Citizen-soldiers: Individuals who are civilians but perform military duties part-time.
Different Meanings
- This word has no other common meanings in modern English. It is a historical term with a single, specific definition.
Noun
- a company of militia in England or America from the 16th century to the 18th century