Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “soldier” come from?

Soldier comes from Middle English soudeour, from Old French soudier, meaning a person hired for military service.

soldier (English): A member of an army, of any rank; A private in...

Definitions

  1. A member of an army, of any rank; A private in...

Ancestry of “soldier”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsoudeour—
2Old Frenchsoudier—
3Medieval Latinsoldariussoldier; mercenary
4Late Latinsolidusa gold coin of the Roman Empire; type of coin;...
5Proto-Italicsoliðos—
6Proto-Indo-Europeansolh₂-i-dʰ-o-sentire
7Proto-Indo-Europeansolh₂-whole

Words derived from “soldier”

  • soldiery
  • soldierly
  • soldiering
  • soldiership
  • soldierlike
  • unsoldierly
  • unsoldierlike
  • supersoldier
  • soldierfish
  • soldierless
  • soldierliness
  • soldieress
  • soldierwood
  • footsoldiery
  • soldiers
  • soldia
  • sądáálu
Every word from Proto-Indo-European solh₂- →