soldier

English Online Dictionary. What means soldier‎? What does soldier mean?

English

Alternative forms

• soldior, soldiour, souldier, souldior, souldiour (all obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English soudeour, from Old French soudier or soudeour (“mercenary”), from Medieval Latin soldarius (“soldier (one having pay)”), from Late Latin solidus, a type of coin. Displaced Old English cempa (whence obsolete kemp).

(red herring): An allusion to soldiers' red uniforms; red herring is, reciprocally, a slang term for "soldier".

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: sōlʹjə(r), sŏlʹjə(r), IPA^(key): /ˈsəʊld͡ʒə/, /ˈsɒld͡ʒə/
• (General American) enPR: sōlʹjər, IPA^(key): /ˈsoʊld͡ʒɚ/
• Rhymes: -əʊldʒə(ɹ), -ɒldʒə(ɹ)

Noun

soldier (plural soldiers)

1. A member of a ground-based army, of any rank, but especially an enlisted member.
2. (by extension, nonstandard) Any member of a military, regardless of specialty.
3. An enlisted member of a military service, as distinguished from a commissioned officer.
4. A guardsman.
5. A member of the Salvation Army.
6. A low-ranking gangster or member of a gang, especially the mafia, who engages in physical conflict.
7. (British, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand) A piece of buttered bread (or toast), cut into a long thin strip for dipping into a soft-boiled egg.
8. A term of approbation for a young boy.
9. Someone who fights or toils well.
   • 2004, Eminem, "Like Toy Soldiers", Encore, Shady Records

     [L]et 'em know how important it is to have Runyon Avenue soldiers up in our corners; their loyalty to us is worth more than any award is.

10. The red or cuckoo gurnard (Chelidonichthys cuculus).
11. One of the asexual polymorphic forms of termites, in which the head and jaws are very large and strong. The soldiers serve to defend the nest.
12. (slang, dated) A red herring (cured kipper with flesh turned red).
13. (xiangqi) A xiangqi piece that moves and captures by advancing one point. Once it has crossed the river, it may also move and capture one point horizontally.
14. A brick, for example in a course of brickwork, that is laid vertically on its shortest end (smallest face), so that its tallest and slimmest face faces the outside of the wall.

Synonyms

• (member of an army): grunt, sweat, old sweat, Tommy

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

soldier (third-person singular simple present soldiers, present participle soldiering, simple past and past participle soldiered)

1. (intransitive) To continue steadfast; to keep striving.
2. (intransitive) To serve as a soldier.
3. (intransitive) To intentionally restrict labor productivity; to work at the slowest rate that goes unpunished.

   Synonyms: dog it; fuck the dog (vulgar)

4. (transitive, slang) To take a ride on (another person's horse) without permission.

Usage notes

Originally from the way that conscripts may approach following orders. Usage less prevalent in the era of all-volunteer militaries.

Synonyms

• (work at slowest rate): dog it, goldbrick

Derived terms

• soldierly

Translations

See also

• soldier on
• toy soldier, plastic soldier
• soldier ant, soldier bee
• soldier of fortune
• construction soldier
• buffalo soldier
• child soldier
• chocolate soldier
• Christian soldier
• dog soldier
• footsoldier
• freshwater soldier
• gallant soldier
• horse soldier
• junior soldier
• nonsoldier
• old soldier
• presoldier

Further reading

• soldier on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Soldier (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Category:soldier on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
• soldier on Wikiquote.Wikiquote

Anagrams

• Delrios, serolid, solider