Barrackings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A place where soldiers are housed and trained for military operations
2. A facility providing accommodation and necessary support for military personnel
3. A term referring to military lodgings used for administration and command activities

Etymology: "Barrackings" is the plural of "barracking," and the meaning the request gives, soldiers' living quarters, belongs to the plural of that noun. The word's story runs through its base form, which means jeering or heckling at someone, and the two senses share a root that is worth tracing. The base word "barrack" is a verb meaning to shout insults or jeer at a player, speaker or team, and the noun "barracking" names that act. Its link to the soldiers' sense lies in the older meaning of "barrack" as a shelter or hut, the same root that gives the military building its name.