INFANTRY
- Dr. Goodword
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INFANTRY
• infantry •
Pronunciation: in-fên-tri • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The foot-soldiers in the military
Notes: I thought we needed to look at this Good Word in honor of that branch of the military that is taking the brunt of the action in Iraq and to answer that age-old question: "When was the infantry made up of infants?" (For the answer, see its history below.) If infantocracy is the rule of a baby (as do my granddaughters) and infantolatry is the worship of babies (which I am also very familiar with), then an infantry should be a collection of babies. In fact, the word has been used jocularly in this sense.
In Play: Although it is not a real meaning of the word, the use of this Good Word to refer to infants collectively is not unheard-of. The Oxford English Dictionary reports this sentence from 1863: "There was one A.B.C. book, or pretty nearly one, for the whole ‘infantry’ of the country." Today's word is best known, however, in the expression, "If all else fails, call in the infantry." They are, historically, the last line of defense.
Word History: So, you have wondered when the infantry was composed of infants. It is a good question since this Good Word should refer to a collection of babies. In fact, however, it comes from French infanterie, a word the French borrowed from Old Italian infanteria, which was a collection of infante "youth, foot soldier." The Italian word came down from Latin infans "infant", its meaning rusted a bit in the river of time. Now it really gets interesting. The Latin infans (infant- with endings) was a derivation from in- "not" + fans, the present participle of fari "to speak", i.e. "not speaking". For those of you who doubt that humans are distinguished from other species by speech, harken: even the ancestors of the Romans thought so.
Pronunciation: in-fên-tri • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The foot-soldiers in the military
Notes: I thought we needed to look at this Good Word in honor of that branch of the military that is taking the brunt of the action in Iraq and to answer that age-old question: "When was the infantry made up of infants?" (For the answer, see its history below.) If infantocracy is the rule of a baby (as do my granddaughters) and infantolatry is the worship of babies (which I am also very familiar with), then an infantry should be a collection of babies. In fact, the word has been used jocularly in this sense.
In Play: Although it is not a real meaning of the word, the use of this Good Word to refer to infants collectively is not unheard-of. The Oxford English Dictionary reports this sentence from 1863: "There was one A.B.C. book, or pretty nearly one, for the whole ‘infantry’ of the country." Today's word is best known, however, in the expression, "If all else fails, call in the infantry." They are, historically, the last line of defense.
Word History: So, you have wondered when the infantry was composed of infants. It is a good question since this Good Word should refer to a collection of babies. In fact, however, it comes from French infanterie, a word the French borrowed from Old Italian infanteria, which was a collection of infante "youth, foot soldier." The Italian word came down from Latin infans "infant", its meaning rusted a bit in the river of time. Now it really gets interesting. The Latin infans (infant- with endings) was a derivation from in- "not" + fans, the present participle of fari "to speak", i.e. "not speaking". For those of you who doubt that humans are distinguished from other species by speech, harken: even the ancestors of the Romans thought so.
• The Good Dr. Goodword
Truly fascinating, Doctor!
I love that about words, you use them and hear them, and don't always think about them much, and then, when someone points out their origins or etymology, it is quite beyond your imagination.
"Infantry!" What a journey!
Thank you!
Apo
I love that about words, you use them and hear them, and don't always think about them much, and then, when someone points out their origins or etymology, it is quite beyond your imagination.
"Infantry!" What a journey!
Thank you!
Apo
'Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal. The rest is poetry, imagination.' -Max Planck
infant-ry well the non-coms anyway
you should see them when they get off-base, They go nutty like Infants, no restraint!
Katy
Katy
- Dr. Goodword
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Infantry
I try to find words that tell a story about us and where we come from, how we really think, what we are currently up to. Other WotDs aim at vocabulary building--and most of our words are chosen for that, too. However, the words of a language draw a map of the people who speak them and, to use your metaphor, a journey with that map is a journey through a thousand new doors. That, to me, is the greatest value of examining words.
• The Good Dr. Goodword
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- Grand Panjandrum
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- Grand Panjandrum
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- Location: Stockholm, SVERIGE
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- Great Grand Panjandrum
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Re: revelry
I guess you could ask the Sabine women . . . although that was a bit closer to home, actually."How can we keep 'em down on the farm, after they've seen Paree!"
Do you suppose the Roman world conquers were equally silly away from home?
Katy
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- Grand Panjandrum
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Re: silly
The attractive thing about fora like these is that we can be silly in the comfort of our own homes, offices, etc, yet at the same time share the moment - and our thoughts - with others....HA! I'm silliest in the confines of my own home! ...
Henri
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Apoclima: I am posting here because you seem to have disappeared after this posting. Where did you go? Can you return? I am especially interested in your "signature" quotation: 'Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal. The rest is poetry, imagination.' -Max Planck
Although Plank was a great man and has a scientific constant named after him, he may not be the end-all of wisdom. What does his definition of knowledge exclude? Are history, biography, fiction, art, music, philosophy and all such fields of study mere poetry or imagination? I am more liberal in what is knowledge than Plank is, but I have no constant named after me.
Although Plank was a great man and has a scientific constant named after him, he may not be the end-all of wisdom. What does his definition of knowledge exclude? Are history, biography, fiction, art, music, philosophy and all such fields of study mere poetry or imagination? I am more liberal in what is knowledge than Plank is, but I have no constant named after me.
It is dark at night, but the Sun will come up and then we can see.
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- Great Grand Panjandrum
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