Corporals

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A military rank denoting a non-commissioned officer, typically responsible for leading a small group of soldiers
2. Referring to an officer who has the authority to oversee recruits and ensure their discipline
3. An individual in the armed forces who serves as a bridge between enlisted personnel and higher-ranking officials

Etymology: The plural "corporals" is the form of "corporal" in its military sense, and that sense comes from the Italian "caporale", meaning "head" or "leader". The Italian word descends from Latin "caput", "head", and passed into French as "caporal". Its English use in this sense reflects the French form, which was probably also shaped by the older word "corporal", meaning "of the body", a different word entirely that the two came to resemble. The result is a pair of words that look identical but have unrelated origins. The older English "corporal" comes from Latin "corporalis", from "corpus", "body", and is related to "corporeal". Its neuter form "corporale" also gave English the word for the cloth on which the consecrated bread and wine were placed in the Eucharist, a sense tied to the doctrine of transubstantiation.

Synonyms: sergeants, officers, noncoms, military personnel, commanders

Antonyms: civilians, non-military, reservists, rebels, insurgents