Hostis

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term referring to an enemy or foe, particularly in a legal or military context
2. it signifies a figure that opposes or threatens a group or nation
3. it can also indicate a stranger or outsider who poses a potential threat to the community

Etymology: The Latin "hostis" once meant something closer to "stranger" than "enemy." It shares its root with "hospes" (host or guest) and with English "guest," and the same ancient base also gave rise to both hospitality and hostility. In early Rome, the word described a foreign party, someone outside the community who might be either welcomed or fought, and the two meanings were so close that the same figure could be either. Over time the hostile sense took over. Roman law and writers used "hostis" for an armed foreign enemy, and the word came to cover any opponent of the state. English inherited that military sense indirectly: "host," meaning an army, comes through Old French "ost" from the same Latin word, which is why an old "host" was originally a force of enemies.

Synonyms: enemy, foe, adversary, opponent, antagonist

Antonyms: ally, friend, supporter, allyship, partner