Troops

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /tɹuːps/

Definitions

1. A group of soldiers organized for combat or military operations can refer to a collective body of individuals or animals under a common command
2. In a broader context, this term can also denote any substantial gathering of people, such as supporters or participants in a non-military capacity
3. Additionally, it may be used to signify a band of performers or entertainers who travel and work together in a coordinated manner

Etymology: "Troops" is the plural of "troop", and the singular has a more tangled background than its military associations suggest. It entered English around 1545, borrowed from French "troupe". That French word appears to have been formed backwards from "troupeau" ("little herd" or "flock"), a term that in Middle French was itself an alteration of "trope" or "troupe", whose ultimate origin is unknown. Early Medieval Latin had a similar form, "troppus", which points to a shared ancestry in the medieval period. The same root sits behind some unexpectedly rustic relatives. "Troupe" is a doublet of "troop", meaning the two came into English by different routes and kept distinct senses. Possibly related words include "thorp", "dorp", and "trip", and the German "Dorf" ("village") is cognate. The thread running through these is a basic notion of a gathered group, whether of animals, people, or houses.

Synonyms: soldiers, forces, military, personnel, units

Antonyms: civilians, noncombatants, settlers, inhabitants, residents