Warriors

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈwɒɹɪəz/

Definitions

1. Combatants actively involved in warfare or battles
2. People renowned for their courage and fighting skills, often linked to military endeavors
3. Persons participating directly in armed battles or conflicts ; individuals recognized for exceptional courage and skill in fighting

Etymology: "Warriors" is the plural of "warrior," and the singular is the more revealing word. Its ancestor, Old French "guerroiier," meant simply "fighter" or "combatant," but the root behind it, Medieval Latin "werra," came from a Frankish word meaning "confusion" or "quarrel." In other words, the people we picture in armour were named for the mess that fighting makes. That Frankish word traces back to a very old Indo-European root meaning "to mix up, confuse, beat, or thresh," so the sense of tumult was there from the start. The Latin "werra" carried the idea of strife and feud, and it passed into Anglo-Norman and then Middle English as "werreour." Before this French-derived term took hold, English speakers used the Old English "cempa," a native word for a fighter, which "warrior" eventually displaced.

Synonyms: fighters, soldiers, combatants

Antonyms: pacifists, cowards