Cadre
/ˈkɑː.drə/noun
A small group of trained personnel forming the nucleus of a larger organization, especially a military one.
Did you know?Cadre entered English through French military language, where it shifted from meaning a physical “frame” to the trained core around which an army could be built.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kʷetwóres
“Four; the ancestral number underlying the later “square” and “frame” sense.”
Classical Latin
Latin
quadrum
“A square or rectangular object; literally something associated with four sides.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
quadra
“A square, section, or framework derived from the idea of four.”
16th Century
Italian
quadro
“A square, frame, picture, or organized arrangement.”
16th–17th Century
French
cadre
“A frame; later, a structured body or organized group.”
19th Century
English
cadre
“A small trained group forming the nucleus of a larger military or organizational body.”