Militia
/mɪˈlɪʃə/noun
A military force made up of ordinary citizens rather than professional soldiers.
Did you know?Militia comes from Latin *militia*, “military service” or “warfare,” from *miles* (“soldier”), a root that also gave us *military* and *mile* through a separate historical path.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mei-
“to change, exchange, or go back and forth”
Latin
Latin
miles
“soldier”
Latin
Latin
militia
“military service; warfare; active service as a soldier”
Old French
Old French
milice
“military service; body of soldiers”
Late Middle English
English
milice/militie
“armed force or military service”
Modern English
English
militia
“a military force raised from the civil population”