Where does “infantryman” come from?
Infantryman derives from English man, Middle English man and mon, and Latin infans meaning "unable to speak," from in- "not" and fari "to speak."
infantryman (English): a soldier employed in an infantry role
Definitions
- a soldier employed in an infantry role
Ancestry of “infantryman”, step by step
infantryman traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English infantry
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | infantry | Soldiers who fight on foot (on land), as opposed to cavalry and other mounted units, regardless of external transport (e.g. airborne) |
| 2 | Middle French | infanterie | — |
| 3 | Spanish | infantería | infantry |
| 4 | Spanish | Infante | infant |
| 5 | Old Spanish | ifante | — |
| 6 | Latin | īnfāntem | — |
| 7 | Latin | īnfāns | speechless, inarticulate |
| 8 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 9 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 10 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |
via English MAN
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | MAN | Initialism of Metropolitan Area Network |
| 2 | English | manual | A handbook; A booklet that instructs on the usage... |
| 3 | Middle English | manuel | — |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | manuel | manual; done with the hands; handle; manual;... |
| 5 | Old French | manual | — |
| 6 | Latin | manuālis | hand |
| 7 | Latin | manus | hand; bravery, valor; violence, fighting |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | manus | hand |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | man- | human being; man; hand |