Soldier refers to a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas, a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be a mercenary.[1] In most languages, "soldier" includes commissioned and non-commissioned officers in national land forces.
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Etymology
The word soldier is derived from an Old French word, itself a derivation of Solidarius, Latin for someone who served in the armed forces for pay, as opposed to warriors in tribal society where every grown man is automatically a member of his clan's fighting force. Solidare in Latin means "to pay"; Roman soldiers were paid in solidi, so-called because they were a new type of solid silver coin brought in after a reform of the Roman monetary system.
Non-English equivalents
The common Roman's origin for the words soldier and payment survives not only in French as soldat and solde, but also in other languages, like German Soldat and Sold, Spanish soldado and sueldo, Portuguese soldado and soldo, Dutch soldaat and soldij, Italian "soldato" and "soldo", Arabic "Jondi, جندي" or "mojannad, مجنّد" or "Askar, عسكر" in the Lebanese Dialect.
In the Russian language the word soldier is also "солдат" ("soldat"), although it is not related to the Russian word for money, but was borrowed from German use. In some languages the word soldier is derived from different etymology. For example Estonian "sõdur" is derived from word "sõda," which means "war." And Finnish "sotilas" or "soturi", and "sota" meaning "war".
Occupational designations
In most armed forces the word soldier has been mostly abandoned, due to the increasing specialisation of military occupations that require different areas of knowledge and skill-sets. As a result, 'soldier' has been replaced by names which reflect an individual's Arm, Service or Branch of military employment, their type of unit, or operational employment or technical use such as: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, or a gunner.
U.S. Army Soldiers in Baghdad, Iraq in 2007Other terms
In many countries soldiers serving in specific occupations are referred to by terms other than their occupational name. For example military police personnel in the U.K. are known as "redcaps" from the colour of their berets or other headwear.
In the United States Army and the United States Marine Corps, infantrymen are called "grunts", while artillerymen are sometimes referred to as "redlegs", from the branch color for artillery. In the UK Royal Artillery men are occasionally known as "drop shorts" due to their alleged propensity for dropping rounds short of the intended target.
French Marine Infantry are called marsouins (porpoises) because of their amphibious role. Military units in most armies have nicknames of this type, arising either from items of distinctive uniform, some historical connotation or rivalry between branches or regiments.
For example, U.S. Marines are sometimes called jar-heads because of their "high and tight" haircuts and the way they wear their hats makes their heads look like the cap of a jar or decanter. U.S. Army soldiers are sometimes called "Hooas" for the reply they give when acknowledging orders or verbal commands.
See also
References
- ^ "mercenary." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 16 May. 2009. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary1.classic.reference.com/browse/mercenary>.
External links
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Categories: Military life | Military personnel | Military occupations | Soldiers
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Times Online
The death of nine soldiers in as many days has heightened the sense of tension in their semi-detached house on an estate in Merthyr Tydfil. ...
8 soldiers die in the one day Mirror.co.uk
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German soldiers posing in farmyard with animals The sign reads Pfingstgruss aus Russia 1915 Pentecost greetings from Russia
Ellen
Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:37:00 GM
Wait, there are women . soldiers. ? You would think that at some point you would stop being shocked by the awful things that happen to women in this country, but that never seems to happen. While I was looking at Jezebel today I saw that ...
Q. how many soldiers were SENT to dunkirk at the start and end of the evacuation?
Asked by jessica_rabbit2701 - Thu Feb 12 16:08:58 2009 - - 4 Answers - 0 Comments
A. With the Free French and the Brits there were over 220,000 There really were not that many killed But supplies were left in tact and not destroyed The Free French were upset that they were not told of the evacuation at first two division of Free French covered the retreat. If Hitler had move fast the war would have been lose It was a ill-conceived plan from the on set as no evacuation plans were made After N Chamberlain's cowardice and Dunkirk Hitler had contempt for the British military
Answered by RayIsBack - Thu Feb 12 16:17:09 2009
