Servicemembers

Part of speech: noun, plural

Definitions

1. Individuals actively engaged in military service; persons enlisted or commissioned in the armed forces; members of military organizations serving their country
2. People who hold positions within the military; individuals serving in army, navy, air force, or other defense branches; personnel fulfilling duties as part of a nation's armed services
3. Those currently enlisted or employed as soldiers, sailors, airmen, or marines; persons undertaking military roles; members dedicated to defending a country through military service

Etymology: "Servicemembers" is the plural of "servicemember", a compound formed from "service" and "member". The first element goes back to Latin "servitium", meaning slavery or servitude, from "servus", a slave, and it passed into English through Old French with the sense of duty owed to a superior. The second element, "member", comes from Latin "membrum", a limb or part of the body, which is also why a person belonging to a group is called a member. Joined together, the two parts describe someone who is a limb of a service, a part of an organised body devoted to serving a nation. The compound is a modern coinage built from familiar parts rather than a word with an ancient history of its own, and it reflects the way military and government language has long grouped personnel under the umbrella of service.

Synonyms: soldiers, military personnel, troops, servicepeople

Antonyms: civilians, noncombatants