free

en-adj

free (comparative freer or more free, superlative freest or most free)

freer (comparative)
more free (comparative)
freest (superlative)
most free (superlative)

From Middle English free, fre, freo, from Old English frēo (“free”), from Proto-West Germanic *frī, from Proto-Germanic *frijaz (“beloved, not in bondage”), from Proto-Indo-European *priHós (“pleased, loved”), from *preyH- (“to please, love”). Related to friend.
cognates, etc
Germanic cognates include West Frisian frij (“free”), Dutch vrij (“free”), Low German free (“free”), German frei (“free”), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian fri (“free”).
Other cognates include Sanskrit प्रिय (priyá-, “beloved”).
Germanic and Celtic are the only Indo-European language branches in which the PIE word with the meaning of "dear, beloved" acquired the additional meaning of "free" in the sense of "not in bondage". This was an extension of the idea of "characteristic of those who are dear and beloved", in other words friends and tribe members (in contrast to unfree inhabitants from other tribes and prisoners of war, many of which were among the slaves – compare the Latin use of liberi to mean both "free persons" and "children of a family").

inh

there ain't no such thing as a free lunch

why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free

en:unconstrained, physically or mechanically

(military) Of a rocket or missile: not under the control of a guidance system after being launched.


A

* (highest rank, grade, music): From the initial position of the letter A in the English alphabet.
* (blood type): From A antigen

A-bomb


crow

From Middle English crowe, from Old English crāwe, from Proto-West Germanic *krāā, from Proto-Germanic *krēǭ (compare West Frisian krie, Dutch kraai, German Krähe), from *krēaną (“to crow”). See below.

A young petty officer that must have just received his “crow” (a single chevron, with an eagle over it) was showing off to several seamen.

2002, Ed Goodrich, Riggers that Dive, page 46:

The young man had been threatened with loss of his third class rank, his “crow,” the eagle in a petty officer's sleeve insignia.

2003, Jonathan T. Malay, Seraphim Sky, page 106:

(military, slang) The emblem of an eagle, a sign of military rank.


hour

hours (plural)
hower (alternative obsolete)
houre (alternative obsolete)
howre (alternative obsolete)

Bislama: aua

Tok Pisin: aua

→ Hausa: awa

From Middle English houre, hour, oure, from Anglo-Norman houre, from Old French houre, (h)ore, from Latin hōra (“hour”), from Ancient Greek ὥρα (hṓra, “any time or period, whether of the year, month, or day”), from Proto-Indo-European *yóh₁r̥ (“year, season”). Akin to Old English ġēar (“year”). Doublet of hora and year.
Partly displaced native Old English tīd (“time, hour”), whence Modern English tide.

der

the darkest hour is always just before the dawn

the darkest hour is just before the dawn

By 1300 hours the position was fairly clear.

2000, T. C. G. James, edited by Sebastian Cox, The Battle of Britain, →ISBN:

(military, in the plural) Used after a two-digit hour and a two-digit minute to indicate time.


substantive

en-adj

substantive (comparative more substantive, superlative most substantive)

more substantive (comparative)
most substantive (superlative)

From Middle English substantif, from Old French substantif.

съществен

of the essence or essential element of a thing

(military, of a rank or appointment) Actually and legally held, as distinct from an acting, temporary or honorary rank or appointment


Fabian

Fabian (comparative more Fabian, superlative most Fabian)

more Fabian (comparative)
most Fabian (superlative)
fabian (alternative)

From Latin Fabiānus (“belonging to Fabius”), derived from Fabius + -ānus.

Hood complained behind his commander's back to Richmond of Johnston's Fabian strategy.

1988, James McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom, Oxford, published 2004, page 745:

(military) Pertaining to or reminiscent of Roman general Fabius Maximus, whose tactics against Hannibal during the Second Punic War famously consisted of delaying or avoiding combat, focusing instead on weakening the enemy by cutting off supply lines.


able

From the first letter of the word. Suggested in the 1916 United States Army Signal Book to distinguish the letter when communicating via telephone, and later adopted in other radio and telephone signal standards.

(military) The letter "A" in Navy Phonetic Alphabet.


ablution

en-noun

ablution (countable and uncountable, plural ablutions)

From Middle English ablucioun (“cleansing of impurities”), from Old French ablution, and its source, Late Latin ablūtiō (“a washing away”), from abluō (“wash away”), from ab- (“away”) + lavō (“wash”).

inh

(plural only, UK, military) The location or building where the showers and basins are located.


abort

→ Polish: abort

→ Portuguese: abort

From Middle English, from Latin abortus, perfect active participle of aborior (“miscarry”), formed from ab + orior (“come into being”). Doublet of abortus.

We've had aborts on three of our last seven launches.

(military, aeronautics) An early termination of a mission, action, or procedure in relation to missiles or spacecraft; the craft making such a mission.


abort

en-verb

abort (third-person singular simple present aborts, present participle aborting, simple past and past participle aborted)

aborts (present singular third-person)
aborting (participle present)
aborted (participle past)
aborted (past)

From Latin abortare, from abortus, from aboriri (“miscarry”), from ab- (“not”) + oriri (“come into being, arise, appear”).

First he aborts the take-off and now we have a runway incursion!

2022, Michael & Stefan Strasser, Chicken Wings (comic):

(intransitive, military) To abandon a mission at any point after the beginning of the mission and prior to its completion.


西

西と言うたら東を悟れ

what is called in the west is realized in the east → necessary to understand the back as well as the front

西と言えば東と言う

if they say West, say East → tell the opposite thing every time

西も東も分からない

cannot tell east from west → cannot be understood at all

犬が西向きゃ尾は東

dog faces west while its tail points east → clearly obvious

Originally a compound of 去に (ini, “going away”, the 連(れん)用(よう)形(けい) (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of the verb 去(い)ぬ (inu, “to go away”)) + し (shi, “wind; (by extension) direction”, as seen in other ancient-derived words as 嵐 (arashi, “storm”, literally “wild + wind”), 旋風 (tsumuji, “whirlwind”), 東 (higashi, “east”, from older pi muka si, literally “sun + facing + wind/direction”)).
First cited in the Kojiki of 712, with the phonetic spelling 爾斯 (nisi).

西向く侍 → 二四六九士

westward-facing samurai → mnemonic for months with less than 31 days, with 士 standing for 十一

(sumo) lower-ranked wrestlers listed on the left side of a banzuke


robot

robot (indefinite nominative singular)
robots (genitive indefinite singular)
roboten (definite nominative singular)
robotens (definite genitive singular)
robotar (indefinite nominative plural)
robotars (genitive indefinite plural)
robotarna (definite nominative plural)
robotarnas (definite genitive plural)

Borrowed from Czech robot, from robota, from Old Czech robota, from Proto-Slavic *orbota, from *orbiti + *-ota. First attested in 1921. The weaponry sense attested since 1944.


acceptability

en-noun

acceptability (countable and uncountable, plural acceptabilities)

From Latin acceptābilitās. By surface analysis, accept + -ability.

(military) Operation plan review criterion. The determination as to whether the contemplated course of action is worth the cost in manpower, materiel, and time involved; is consistent with the law of war; and is militarily and politically supportable. (JP 1-02 Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms)


spring

en-verb

spring (third-person singular simple present springs, present participle springing, simple past sprang or sprung, past participle sprung)

springs (present singular third-person)
springing (participle present)
sprang (past)
sprung (past)
sprung (participle past)
spring (infinitive)
spring (first-person present singular)
sprang (first-person past singular)
sprung (first-person nonstandard past singular)
spring (present second-person singular)
sprang (past second-person singular)
sprung (nonstandard past second-person singular)
springs (present singular third-person)
sprang (past singular third-person)
sprung (nonstandard past singular third-person)
spring (plural present)
sprang (past plural)
sprung (nonstandard past plural)
spring (present subjunctive)
sprang (past subjunctive)
sprung (nonstandard past subjunctive)
spring (imperative present)
springing (participle present)
sprung (participle past)
sprang (nonstandard participle past)

From Middle English springen, from Old English springan (“to spring, leap, bounce, sprout forth, emerge, spread out”), from Proto-West Germanic *springan, from Proto-Germanic *springaną (“to burst forth”), from Proto-Indo-European *spre(n)ǵʰ- (“to move, race, spring”), from *sper- (“to jerk, twitch, snap, shove”).
Cognates
* Saterland Frisian springe
* West Frisian springe
* Dutch springen
* German Low German springen
* German springen
* Danish springe
* Swedish springa
* Norwegian springe
* Faroese springa
* Icelandic springa (“to burst, explode”).
Other possible cognates include Lithuanian spreñgti (“to push (in)”), Old Church Slavonic прѧсти (pręsti, “to spin, to stretch”), Latin spargere (“to sprinkle, to scatter”), Ancient Greek σπέρχω (spérkhō, “to hasten”), Sanskrit स्पृहयति (spṛháyati, “to be eager”). Some newer senses derived from the noun.

cog

The whole contraption appears liable to spring apart at any moment.

2012 April 21, Sydney Morning Herald, page 5:


color

colors (plural)
colour (alternative Commonwealth Ireland)
usage notes (alternative)

From Middle English colour, color, borrowed from Anglo-Norman colur, from Old French colour, color, from Latin color. Doublet of couleur.
Displaced English blee, Middle English blee (“color”), from Old English blēo. Also partially replaced Old English hīew (“color”) and its descendants (English hue), which is less often used in this sense.
The spelling color was popularized in modern American English by Noah Webster, to match the spelling of the word's Latin etymon, and make all American spellings of the derivatives consistent (colorimeter, coloration, colorize, colorless, etc).

колори́т

interest, especially in a selective area

(military, in the plural) The morning ceremony of raising the flag.

The local hero is getting color in tonight's spectacle.

professional wrestling
professional wrestling

(professional wrestling slang) To bleed, either through injury or blading. Usally prefaced with "get".


zero

en-noun

zero (countable and uncountable, plural zeros or zeroes)

pole

antonym(s) of “value of a function's variables at zero”

From Spanish zero (now cero), Middle French zero (modern French zéro), and their etymon Italian zero, from Medieval Latin zephirum, from Arabic صِفْر (ṣifr, “nothing, cipher”), itself calqued from (semantic loan) Sanskrit शून्य (śūnya, “void, nothingness”). Doublet of cipher and chiffre.

der

The visit to Townsville was filled with nostalgia for me. I remembered very well staying there on June 8, 1942. I shared a room with a brave and friendly officer, Colonel Francis Stevens. Early the next morning we flew to Port Moresby in New Guinea, and from there we took off in separate planes. Colonel Stevens never returned from that flight; his plane was shot down by a Japanese Zero.

1971, Lyndon Johnson, “The New Age of Regionalism”, in The Vantage Point, Holt, Reinhart & Winston, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 361:

(military, usually capitalized) A Mitsubishi A6M Zero, a long range fighter aircraft operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service from 1940 to 1945.


quarter

en-noun

quarter (countable and uncountable, plural quarters)

From Middle English quarter, from Anglo-Norman quarter, from Latin quartarius, from quartus. Compare Spanish cuarto (“room, quarters; quarter”). Doublet of quartier.

cog

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-quarter.wav

Tietjens said: ‘Send the Canadian sergeant-major to me at the double….’ to the quarter.

1925, Ford Madox Ford, “Parade's End”, in No More Parades, Penguin, published 2012, page 360:

(military slang, now rare) A quartermaster; a quartermaster sergeant.

quartermaster sergeant
quartermaster sergeant


parole

parole (nominative singular)
paroles (nominative plural)
paroles (genitive singular)
paroļu (genitive plural)
parolei (dative singular)
parolēm (dative plural)
paroli (accusative singular)
paroles (accusative plural)
paroli (instrumental singular)
parolēm (instrumental plural)
parolē (locative singular)
parolēs (locative plural)
parole (singular vocative)
paroles (plural vocative)

(military) password (a secret, pre-arranged word, phrase used as a sign of recognition, for example, in conspiratorial, intelligence, military activities)

(military) password (an agreed name, a number called to identify the telephone subscriber to the communications service)


PM

polisi militer
polisi militer#Indonesian

(military, law enforcement) initialism of polisi militer (“military police”)


CIA

/ˌsiːˌaɪˈeɪ/

(military) Initialism of captured-in-action.


CIA

Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency

(espionage) CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)


AD

en-noun

AD (countable and uncountable, plural ADs)

ADs (plural)
A.D. (alternative)
A. D. (alternative)

(military) Initialism of air defence or air defense.


FAC

Forward Air Control
w:Forward Air Control

(military, aviation) Initialism of Forward Air Control.


FAC

Forces armées canadiennes
w:fr:Forces armées canadiennes

(Canada, military) abbreviation of Forces armées canadiennes: CAF (“Canadian Armed Forces”)

(Canada, military, aviation) abbreviation of Force aérienne du Canada: CAF (“Canadian Air Force”)


FAC

(military, aviation) abbreviation of Fuerza Aérea Colombiana: the Colombian Air Force


BC

BC (countable and uncountable, plural BCs)

BCs (plural)
B.C. (alternative)
b.c. (alternative)
bc (alternative)


point

point (countable and uncountable, plural points)

→ Cantonese: point

→ Indonesian: poin

→ Japanese: ポイント (pointo)

→ Korean: 포인트 (pointeu)

→ Malay: poin

From Middle English poynt, from Old French point m (“dot; minute amount”), from Latin pūnctum (“a hole punched in; a point, puncture”), substantive use of pūnctus m, perfect passive participle of pungō (“I prick, punch”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- (“prick, punch”)); alternatively, from Old French pointe f (“sharp tip”), from Latin pūncta f (past participle). Mostly displaced native Middle English ord (“point”), from Old English ord (“point”). Doublet of pointe, ponto, puncto, punctum, punt, and punto.

kärki

position at the front or vanguard of an advancing force

decimal point

not used when reading decimal fractions aloud

tierce point

(fencing) A movement executed with the sabre or foil.


man

men (plural)
mang (alternative)
mane (alternative)
mans (alternative)
mon (alternative)
mxn (alternative)
mans (alternative)
mens (alternative)
mandem (alternative)
mens (alternative)
mxn (alternative)
myn (alternative)

Tok Pisin: man

→ Cantonese: man

→ Chinook Jargon: man

→ Korean: 맨 (maen)

→ Mandarin: man (mān)

→ Spanish: man

→ Thai: แมน (mɛɛn)

→ Volapük: man

From Middle English man, from Old English mann m (“human being, person, man”), from Proto-West Germanic *mann, from Proto-Germanic *mann- m, from Proto-Indo-European *mon- (“human being, man”). Doublet of Manu.
See also Saterland Frisian Mon, West Frisian man, Dutch man, Low German Mann, German Mann, Swedish man, Norwegian Nynorsk mann, Danish mand.

inh

чолові́к m (čolovík) (now usually means "man", "male human")

a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle

a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle

behind every great man there stands a woman

behind every successful man there stands a woman

every man is the architect of his own fortune

give a man a fish and you feed him for a day

teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime

it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God

the best laid plans of mice and men go oft astray

the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry

non-commissioned officer
non-commissioned officer

(military slang) A soldier below the rank of a non-commissioned officer.


port

en-verb

port (third-person singular simple present ports, present participle porting, simple past and past participle ported)

ports (present singular third-person)
porting (participle present)
ported (participle past)
ported (past)

From Old French porter, from Latin portāre (“carry”). Akin to transport, portable.

non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger

Port arms!

[…] the angelic squadron...began to hem him round with ported spears.

1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost, book IV:

(transitive, military) To hold or carry (a weapon) with both hands so that it lies diagonally across the front of the body, with the barrel or similar part near the left shoulder and the right hand grasping the small of the stock; or, to throw (the weapon) into this position on command.


port

(military) The position of a weapon when ported; a rifle position executed by throwing the weapon diagonally across the front of the body, with the right hand grasping the small of the stock and the barrel sloping upward and crossing the point of the left shoulder.


six

PIE word
 *swéḱs
From Middle English six, from Old English six, from Proto-West Germanic *sehs, from Proto-Germanic *sehs, from Proto-Indo-European *swéḱs. Compare West Frisian seis, Dutch zes, Low German söss, sess, German sechs, Norwegian and Danish seks, also Latin sex, Ancient Greek ἕξ (héx), Sanskrit षष् (ṣaṣ). Doublet of sice. Toilet sense predates military usage.

Table of cardinal numbers 0 to 9 in various languages

cover my six

Just as having an enemy on your “six” is the hardest situation to escape, being on an enemy at six o'clock is the surest kill. Fighter pilots are always practicing maneuvers to get out from having another aircraft on their six.

2009, Bill Yenne, Aces High: The Heroic Saga of the Two Top-scoring American Aces of World War II, Penguin, →ISBN, page 98:

(military slang, by ellipsis of six o'clock) Rear, behind (rear side of something).


koira

koira (nominative singular)
koirat (nominative plural)
koira (accusative nominative singular)
koirat (accusative nominative plural)
koiran (accusative genitive singular)
koirat (accusative genitive plural)
koiran (genitive singular)
koirien (genitive plural)
koirain (genitive plural rare)
koiraa (partitive singular)
koiria (partitive plural)
koirassa (inessive singular)
koirissa (inessive plural)
koirasta (elative singular)
koirista (elative plural)
koiraan (illative singular)
koiriin (illative plural)
koiralla (adessive singular)
koirilla (adessive plural)
koiralta (ablative singular)
koirilta (ablative plural)
koiralle (allative singular)
koirille (allative plural)
koirana (essive singular)
koirina (essive plural)
koiraksi (singular translative)
koiriksi (plural translative)
koiratta (abessive singular)
koiritta (abessive plural)
koirin (instructive plural)
See the possessive forms below. (comitative)
koirani (nominative singular)
koirani (nominative plural)
koirani (accusative nominative singular)
koirani (accusative nominative plural)
koirani (accusative genitive singular)
koirani (accusative genitive plural)
koirani (genitive singular)
koirieni (genitive plural)
koiraini (genitive plural rare)
koiraani (partitive singular)
koiriani (partitive plural)
koirassani (inessive singular)
koirissani (inessive plural)
koirastani (elative singular)
koiristani (elative plural)
koiraani (illative singular)
koiriini (illative plural)
koirallani (adessive singular)
koirillani (adessive plural)
koiraltani (ablative singular)
koiriltani (ablative plural)
koiralleni (allative singular)
koirilleni (allative plural)
koiranani (essive singular)
koirinani (essive plural)
koirakseni (singular translative)
koirikseni (plural translative)
koirattani (abessive singular)
koirittani (abessive plural)
koirineni (comitative plural)
koirasi (nominative singular)
koirasi (nominative plural)
koirasi (accusative nominative singular)
koirasi (accusative nominative plural)
koirasi (accusative genitive singular)
koirasi (accusative genitive plural)
koirasi (genitive singular)
koiriesi (genitive plural)
koiraisi (genitive plural rare)
koiraasi (partitive singular)
koiriasi (partitive plural)
koirassasi (inessive singular)
koirissasi (inessive plural)
koirastasi (elative singular)
koiristasi (elative plural)
koiraasi (illative singular)
koiriisi (illative plural)
koirallasi (adessive singular)
koirillasi (adessive plural)
koiraltasi (ablative singular)
koiriltasi (ablative plural)
koirallesi (allative singular)
koirillesi (allative plural)
koiranasi (essive singular)
koirinasi (essive plural)
koiraksesi (singular translative)
koiriksesi (plural translative)
koirattasi (abessive singular)
koirittasi (abessive plural)
koirinesi (comitative plural)
koiramme (nominative singular)
koiramme (nominative plural)
koiramme (accusative nominative singular)
koiramme (accusative nominative plural)
koiramme (accusative genitive singular)
koiramme (accusative genitive plural)
koiramme (genitive singular)
koiriemme (genitive plural)
koiraimme (genitive plural rare)
koiraamme (partitive singular)
koiriamme (partitive plural)
koirassamme (inessive singular)
koirissamme (inessive plural)
koirastamme (elative singular)
koiristamme (elative plural)
koiraamme (illative singular)
koiriimme (illative plural)
koirallamme (adessive singular)
koirillamme (adessive plural)
koiraltamme (ablative singular)
koiriltamme (ablative plural)
koirallemme (allative singular)
koirillemme (allative plural)
koiranamme (essive singular)
koirinamme (essive plural)
koiraksemme (singular translative)
koiriksemme (plural translative)
koirattamme (abessive singular)
koirittamme (abessive plural)
koirinemme (comitative plural)
koiranne (nominative singular)
koiranne (nominative plural)
koiranne (accusative nominative singular)
koiranne (accusative nominative plural)
koiranne (accusative genitive singular)
koiranne (accusative genitive plural)
koiranne (genitive singular)
koirienne (genitive plural)
koirainne (genitive plural rare)
koiraanne (partitive singular)
koirianne (partitive plural)
koirassanne (inessive singular)
koirissanne (inessive plural)
koirastanne (elative singular)
koiristanne (elative plural)
koiraanne (illative singular)
koiriinne (illative plural)
koirallanne (adessive singular)
koirillanne (adessive plural)
koiraltanne (ablative singular)
koiriltanne (ablative plural)
koirallenne (allative singular)
koirillenne (allative plural)
koirananne (essive singular)
koirinanne (essive plural)
koiraksenne (singular translative)
koiriksenne (plural translative)
koirattanne (abessive singular)
koirittanne (abessive plural)
koirinenne (comitative plural)
koiransa (nominative singular)
koiransa (nominative plural)
koiransa (accusative nominative singular)
koiransa (accusative nominative plural)
koiransa (accusative genitive singular)
koiransa (accusative genitive plural)
koiransa (genitive singular)
koiriensa (genitive plural)
koirainsa (genitive plural rare)
koiraansa (partitive singular)
koiriaan (partitive plural)
koiriansa (partitive plural)
koirassaan (inessive singular)
koirassansa (inessive singular)
koirissaan (inessive plural)
koirissansa (inessive plural)
koirastaan (elative singular)
koirastansa (elative singular)
koiristaan (elative plural)
koiristansa (elative plural)
koiraansa (illative singular)
koiriinsa (illative plural)
koirallaan (adessive singular)
koirallansa (adessive singular)
koirillaan (adessive plural)
koirillansa (adessive plural)
koiraltaan (ablative singular)
koiraltansa (ablative singular)
koiriltaan (ablative plural)
koiriltansa (ablative plural)
koiralleen (allative singular)
koirallensa (allative singular)
koirilleen (allative plural)
koirillensa (allative plural)
koiranaan (essive singular)
koiranansa (essive singular)
koirinaan (essive plural)
koirinansa (essive plural)
koirakseen (singular translative)
koiraksensa (singular translative)
koirikseen (plural translative)
koiriksensa (plural translative)
koirattaan (abessive singular)
koirattansa (abessive singular)
koirittaan (abessive plural)
koirittansa (abessive plural)
koirineen (comitative plural)
koirinensa (comitative plural)

From Proto-Finnic *koira, from earlier *koj(e)ra, from Proto-Uralic *kojera (“male animal”) (whence also koiras (“male animal”)), derived from Proto-Uralic *koje (“male, man”), in which case the word probably originally meant "male dog" specifically (and possibly displaced peni in the general sense of "dog").

it's the dog that gets hit that yelps; refers to the belief that the person protesting loudest is likely to be guilty; used similarly to English a hit dog will holler, the lady doth protest too much

se koira älähtää, johon kalikka kalahtaa


flute

→ Irish: fliúit

→ Welsh: ffliwt

From Middle English fleute, floute, flote, from Old French flaute, fleüte, from Old Provençal flaüt, of uncertain origin. Perhaps ultimately from three possibilities:
* Blend of Provencal flaujol (“flageolet”) + laüt (“lute”)
* From Latin flātus (“blowing”), from flāre (“to blow”)
* Imitative.
Doublet of flauta and fluyt.

(architecture, firearms) A semicylindrical vertical groove, as in a pillar, in plaited cloth, or in a rifle barrel to cut down the weight.

hulli

architecture: vertical groove in a pillar


nine

en:High availability#"Nines"
en:Nines (notation)
nine

PIE word
 *h₁néwn̥
From Middle English nyne, nine, from Old English nigon (“nine”), from Proto-West Germanic *neun, from Proto-Germanic *newun (“nine”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁néwn̥ (“nine”). Cognate with Scots neen, nine (“nine”), Saterland Frisian njúgen (“nine”), West Frisian njoggen (“nine”), Dutch negen (“nine”), German Low German negen (“nine”), German neun (“nine”), Danish ni (“nine”), Swedish nio (“nine”), Icelandic níu (“nine”), Gothic 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌽 (niun, “nine”), Latin novem (“nine”), Ancient Greek ἐννέα (ennéa, “nine”), Sanskrit नवन् (navan, “nine”).

my very educated mother just served us nine pizzas

my very educated mother just served us nine pumpkins

my very excellent mother just served us nine pizzas

(weaponry) A nine-millimeter semi-automatic pistol.


stock

en-noun

stock (countable and uncountable, plural stocks or (obsolete) stocken)

stocks (plural)
stocken (obsolete plural)

→ Dutch: stock

desctree

→ French: stock
→ Romanian: stoc
→ Turkish: stok

→ Italian: stock

→ Portuguese: estoque

→ Spanish: stock

From Middle English stok, from Old English stocc, from Proto-West Germanic *stokk, from Proto-Germanic *stukkaz (“tree-trunk”), with modern senses mostly referring either to the trunk from which the tree grows (figuratively, its origin and/or support/foundation), or to a piece of wood, stick, or rod. The senses of "supply" and "raw material" arose from a probable conflation with steck (“an item of goods, merchandise”) or the use of split tally sticks consisting of foil or counterfoil and stock to capture paid taxes, debts or exchanges. Doublet of chock.

stark (non-rhotic, father-bother merger)

The most underrated component in building a custom gun is the metalsmithing. Stock work immediately attracts attention. Fancy checkering patterns, meticulously executed, are sure to elicit oohs and ahhs.

2013, Tom Turpin, Modern Custom Guns: Walnut, Steel, and Uncommon Artistry, 2nd edition, Iola, Wis.: Gun Digest Books, →ISBN, page 47:

en:handle or stem of tool or weapon
en:shoulder rest for firearm

A handle or stem to which the working part of an implement or weapon is attached.

(firearms) The part of a rifle or shotgun that rests against the shooter's shoulder.


RAM

(military) Acronym of radar-absorbent material, a material which absorbs radar.


NATO

international relations
international relations

(international relations, military, politics) NATO


music

en-noun

music (usually uncountable, plural musics)

musics (plural)
musick (alternative)
musicke (alternative)
musique (alternative)
musike (alternative)

Jamaican Creole: myuuzik

Pitcairn-Norfolk: myuusik

Tok Pisin: musik

→ Dhivehi: މިއުޒިކް (miuzik̊)

→ Japanese: ミュージック (myūjikku)

→ Malay: muzik

→ Swahili: muziki

→ Welsh: miwsig

From Middle English musik, musike, borrowed from Anglo-Norman musik, musike, Old French musique, and their source Latin mūsica, from Ancient Greek μουσική (mousikḗ), from Ancient Greek Μοῦσα (Moûsa, “Muse”), an Ancient Greek deity of the arts. By surface analysis, muse + -ic (“pertaining to”). In this sense, displaced native Old English drēam (“music”), whence Modern English dream.

surf

(military, slang) Electronic signal jamming.


DOD

(US, military) Initialism of United States Department of Defense.


BM

en-noun

BM (countable and uncountable, plural BMs)

ballistic missile
ballistic missile#English

(military, astronautics) Initialism of ballistic missile.


DOS

(military) Initialism of date of service.

(military) Initialism of date of separation.


AA

AA (countable and uncountable, plural AAs)

They're setting up an AA battery. That thing'll tear the Dawn apart... We'll wait for you to take the shot.

2007 September 25, Bungie, Halo 3, Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox 360, level/area: The Ark:

avenue of approach
avenue of approach#English

(military) Initialism of avenue of approach.


AA

en:Alcoholics Anonymous
en:Anna's Archive
en:The AA

• APO/FPO AE ZIPs 094-098 — Space Available Mail, Nov. 26; Parcel Airlift Mail, Dec. 3; Priority Mail, Dec. 10; First Class Mail Letters and Cards, Dec.10 and Express Mail Military Service, Dec. 18.
• APO/FPO AA ZIP 340 — Space Available Mail, Nov. 26; Parcel Airlift Mail, Dec. 3; Priority Mail, Dec. 10; First Class Mail Letters and Cards, Dec. 10 and Express Mail Military Service, Dec. 18.
• APO/FPO AP ZIPs 962-966 — Space Available Mail, Nov. 26; Parcel Airlift Mail, Dec. 3; Priority Mail, Dec. 10; First Class Mail Letters and Cards, Dec. 10 and Express Mail Military Service, Dec. 18.

2010 October 29, Bill Shrum, “Shipping to soldiers for the holidays”, in Stuttgart (Arkansas) Daily Leader:

(US, military) USPS military code of Armed Forces – Americas.


AA

(military, aviation) Initialism of anti-aircraft or anti-air.

(military, aviation) Initialism of air-to-air.


investment

investment (countable and uncountable, plural investments)

the investment of the fort

1875, John Howard Hinton, History of the United States of America, from the First Settlement:

In 1858, the Governor of Kuangsi applied for his services, but the Viceroy Tsêng Kuo-fan, under whom he had served for a number of years and who recognised his value, declined to part with him. In 1860 he assisted in the defeat of the rebel reinforcements at the Hsiao-ch‘ih post station and took part in the capture of Taihu, investment of An-ch‘ing and destruction of the rebel camp at Linghu. For his services in the capture of Anch‘ing he was rewarded with the title of Baturu and placed on the list of Brigade Generals. He was next sent to Chihchow in Anhui to make reconnaissances of the country and occupy the commanding situations.

1890 May 16 [1890 April 17], “Honours to a Deceased Military Officer.”, in The North-China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette, volume XLIV, number 1189, Shanghai, →OCLC, page 594, column 3:

(military) The act of surrounding, blocking up, or besieging by an armed force, or the state of being so surrounded.


company

company (countable and uncountable, plural companies)

companies (plural)
companie (alternative obsolete)

→ Hindi: कंपनी (kampnī)

desc

→ Hokkien: 公班衙 (kong-pan-gêe / kong-pan-gê)

→ Malay: kompeni

→ Scottish Gaelic: companaidh

→ Swahili: kampuni

From Middle English companye (“a team; companionship”), from Old French compaignie (“companionship”) (Modern French: compagnie), possibly from Late Latin *compania, but this word is not attested. Old French compaignie is equivalent to Old French compaignon (Modern French: compagnon) + -ie. More at companion.
Displaced native Old English werod, gefer, getæl, and hired.

inh

who keeps company with the wolf will learn to howl

you don't dip your pen in company ink

don't fish off the company dock, you don't dip your pen in the company inkwell, you don't fish off the company pier

the boys in Company C

It was by his order the shattered leading company flung itself into the houses when the Sin Verguenza were met by an enfilading volley as they reeled into the calle.

1907 January, Harold Bindloss, chapter 30, in The Dust of Conflict, 1st Canadian edition, Toronto, Ont.: McLeod & Allen, →OCLC:

A team; a group of people who work together professionally.

(military) A unit of approximately sixty to one hundred and twenty soldiers, typically consisting of two or three platoons and forming part of a battalion.

As he had worked for the CIA for over 30 years, he would soon take retirement from the company.

(espionage, informal) An intelligence service.


SMS

S.M.S. (alternative)
S. M. S. (alternative)

/ˌɛs ɛm ˈɛs/

Seiner Majestät Schiff
Seiner Majestät Schiff

(military, nautical, initialism) SMS — Seiner Majestät Schiff – literally, "His Majesty's Ship" in German;

A ship prefix for a ship in the navy of the Empire of Germany (usually for the period leading to WWI and WWI)


SMS

English: SMS

/ˌɛsʔɛmˈʔɛs/

(nautical, military) SMS — Seiner Majestät Schiff (His Majesty's Ship)


SMS

senapan mesin sedang
senapan mesin sedang#Indonesian

(military) initialism of senapan mesin sedang (“medium machine gun”)


work

en-noun

work (countable and uncountable, plural works)

works (plural)
werke (alternative)
worke (alternative)
wuk (alternative)
werk (alternative)
werq (alternative)

Pijin: waka

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *werǵ-
Proto-Indo-European *-om
Proto-Indo-European *wérǵom
Proto-Germanic *werką
Proto-West Germanic *werk
Old English weorc
Middle English werk
English work
From Middle English work, werk, from Old English weorc, from Proto-West Germanic *werk, from Proto-Germanic *werką, from Proto-Indo-European *wérǵom.
Akin to Scots wark, Saterland Frisian Wierk, West Frisian wurk, Dutch werk, German Werk, German Low German Wark, Danish værk, Norwegian Bokmål verk, Norwegian Nynorsk verk, Swedish verk, yrke and orka, Icelandic verk, Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌹 (gawaurki), Ancient Greek ἔργον (érgon, “work”) (from ϝέργον (wérgon)), Avestan 𐬬𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬰 (vər^əz, “to work, to perform”), Armenian գործ (gorc, “work”), Albanian argëtoj (“entertain, reward, please”), Russian варганить (varganitʹ, “"to whip up, to cook something quickly, to throw together"”). English cognates include bulwark, boulevard, energy, erg, georgic, liturgy, metallurgy, organ, surgeon, wright. Doublet of erg and ergon.

աշխատանք

thermodynamics: energy in transit between one form or repository and another

all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

(uncountable, slang, professional wrestling) The staging of events to appear as real.


ROI

(military, espionage) Initialism of region of interest.


shadowing

en-noun

shadowing (countable and uncountable, plural shadowings)

(espionage) Secretly or discreetly tracking or following someone, keeping under surveillance.


PCS

(military) Initialism of permanent change of station.


new

new (countable and uncountable, plural news)

From Middle English newe, from Old English nīewe, from Proto-West Germanic *niwi, from Proto-Germanic *niwjaz, from Proto-Indo-European *néwyos (“new”), from *néwos.
Cognates
Cognate with Scots new (“new”), West Frisian nij (“new”), Dutch nieuw (“new”), Low German nee (“new”), German neu (“new”), Danish, Norwegian and Swedish ny (“new”), Icelandic nýr (“new”), Faroese nýggjur (“new”), Latin novus (“new”), Ancient Greek νέος (néos, “new”), Welsh newydd (“new”), Russian но́вый (nóvyj, “new”), Armenian նոր (nor, “new”), Persian نو (now, “new”),Northern Kurdish nû (“new”), Hindi नया (nayā, “new”), Tocharian B ñuwe (“new”).
Compare also Old English nū (“now”). More at now. Doublet of nuevo and novuss.

In the Britannia "news" were worms, to be trodden on […]

1956, Naval Review (London), volume 44, page 286:

(UK, naval slang, countable) A naval cadet who has just embarked on training.


gas

gas (countable and uncountable, plural gases or gasses)

Borrowed from Dutch gas, coined by chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont in Ortus Medicinae. Derived from Ancient Greek χάος (kháos, “chasm, void, empty space”); perhaps also inspired by geest (“breath, vapour, spirit”). Doublet of chaos. First attested in 1648.

der

New York City, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Baltimore

gas

(uncountable, chemistry) state of matter

بخار خفی (buxār xafî, literally “hidden steam”)

The artillery fired gas shells into the enemy trenches.

(uncountable, physical chemistry) Matter in an intermediate state between liquid and plasma that can be contained only if it is fully surrounded by a solid (or in a bubble of liquid, or held together by gravitational pull); it can condense into a liquid, or can (rarely) become a solid directly by deposition.


proprietary

/pɹəˈpɹaɪ.əˌtɛɹ.i/

/pɹəˈpɹɑɪ.ə.tə.ɹi/

/pɹəˈpɹɑɪ.ə.tɹi/

From French propriétaire, from Latin proprietārius. By surface analysis, propriety + -ary. Compare with the Latin proprietas (“property”) and proprius (“ownership”).

For all practical purposes, the proprietaries conduct their own financial affairs with a minimum of oversight from CIA headquarters.

1975, Victor Marchetti, John D. Marks, The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence, page 159:

The “operating proprietaries” actually do business as private firms. They are incorporated where they are officed, they file the applicable state and federal tax returns, and they obtain the licenses necessary to a legitimate business operation.

2013, Joseph Goulden, The Dictionary of Espionage: Spyspeak into English, page 175:

(espionage) A company doing legitimate business while also serving as a front for espionage.


mortar

en-noun

mortar (countable and uncountable, plural mortars)

mortars (plural)
morter (alternative archaic)

→ Indonesian: mortar

From Middle English morter, from Old French mortier, from Latin mortārium. Doublet of mortarium.

(countable, military, historical) A short, heavy, large-bore cannon designed for indirect fire at very steep trajectories.

(countable, military) A relatively lightweight, often portable indirect fire weapon which transmits recoil to a base plate and is designed to lob explosive shells at very steep trajectories.

هَاوُن

lightweight indirect fire weapon which transmits recoil to a base plate


software

software (usually uncountable, plural (nonstandard) softwares)

→ Amharic: ሶፍትዌር (softəwer)

desc

→ Persian: نرمافزار (narm-afzâr) (calque)

From soft + -ware, by contrast with hardware (“the computer itself”). Coined by John Tukey in 1958.

The Americans have devoted their attention to the hardware of disarmament: Europeans can make a special contribution to the 'software' or human content of detente.

1989, Christopher Layton, A Step Beyond Fear: Building a European Security Community:

[…] preview of horrific images to come, as the hardware stage of the war yields to the software — or human — stage.

1991, New York Magazine, volume 24, number 5, page 33:

(military) The human beings involved in warfare, as opposed to hardware such as weapons and vehicles.


amigo

pt-adj

amigo (feminine amiga, masculine plural amigos, feminine plural amigas, comparable, comparative mais amigo, superlative o mais amigo or amiguíssimo or amicíssimo)

amiga (feminine)
amigos (masculine plural)
amigas (feminine plural)
mais amigo (comparative)
o mais amigo (superlative)
amiguíssimo (superlative)
amicíssimo (superlative)

From Old Galician-Portuguese amigo, from Latin amīcus (“friend; friendly”), from amō (“to love”) + -icus. Compare Catalan amic, French ami, Italian amico, Romanian amic and Spanish amigo.

LL-Q5146 (por)-Nelson Ricardo 2500-amigo.wav

Fogo amigo.

(military) friendly (of or relating to friendlies)


absence

en-noun

absence (usually uncountable, plural absences)

existence

antonym(s) of “lack, deficiency, nonexistence”

From Middle English absence, from Old French absence, ausence, from Latin absentia, from absēns (“absent”), present active participle of absum (“I am away or absent”), from ab (“from, away from”) + sum (“I am”).

(fencing) Lack of contact between blades.


accountability

accountability (usually uncountable, plural accountabilities)

(military) The obligation imposed by law or regulation on an officer or other person for keeping an accurate record of property, documents, or funds.


general

general (countable and uncountable, plural generals)

generals (plural)
General (alternative)
gen. (alternative)
gen (alternative)
Gen. (alternative)
Gen (alternative)
genl (alternative)
gen'l (alternative)
Genl (alternative)
Gen'l (alternative)
generall (alternative obsolete)

From Middle English general, in turn from Anglo-Norman general, generall, Middle French general, and their source, Latin generālis, from genus (“class, kind”) + -ālis (“-al”); thus morphologically parallel with, and a doublet of, generic.

general of the air force
general of the air force

(military) The holder of a senior military title, originally designating the commander of an army and now a specific rank falling under field marshal (in the British army) and below general of the army or general of the air force in the US army and air forces.


general

ca-noun

general m (plural generals, feminine generala)


general

head

general m (definite singular generalen, indefinite plural generaler, definite plural generalene)

generalen (definite singular)
generaler (indefinite plural)
generalene (definite plural)


general

general m (definite singular generalen, indefinite plural generalar, definite plural generalane)

generalen (definite singular)
generalar (indefinite plural)
generalane (definite plural)


general

fro-noun

general oblique singular, m (oblique plural generaus or generax or generals, nominative singular generaus or generax or generals, nominative plural general)

general oblique singular or (canonical masculine)
generaus (oblique plural)
generax (oblique plural)
generals (oblique plural)
generaus (nominative singular)
generax (nominative singular)
generals (nominative singular)
general (nominative plural)


general

Learned borrowing from Latin generālis. Doublet of geral.

(military) general (said of the subcategory of armed forces officer with a rank above that of senior officer)

(military) general (said of the military with this subcategory)


general

(military) general (highest rank in the category of Army and Air Force officers, whose insignia consists of four stars)


general

pt-noun

general m or f by sense (plural generais)

→ Tetum: jenerál

(military) general (officer holding that post)

(military) general (designation common to military personnel holding the ranks of general, lieutenant general and major general)


general

genèrāl (canonical masculine)
генѐра̄л (Cyrillic)
genèrāl (nominative singular)
generali (nominative plural)
generála (genitive singular)
generala (genitive plural)
generalu (dative singular)
generalima (dative plural)
generala (accusative singular)
generale (accusative plural)
generale (singular vocative)
generali (plural vocative)
generalu (locative singular)
generalima (locative plural)
generalom (instrumental singular)
generalima (instrumental plural)

Borrowed from German General, from Latin generālis.


general

sl-noun

generȃl m anim (female equivalent generȃlica or generȃlka)

generȃl (animate canonical masculine)
generȃlica (feminine)
generȃlka (feminine)
please help by adding the tonal marks.
generál (nominative singular)
generála (dual nominative)
generáli (nominative plural)
generála (genitive singular)
generálov (dual genitive)
generálov (genitive plural)
generálu (dative singular)
generáloma (dative dual)
generálom (dative plural)
generála (accusative singular)
generála (accusative dual)
generále (accusative plural)
generálu (locative singular)
generálih (dual locative)
generálih (locative plural)
generálom (instrumental singular)
generáloma (dual instrumental)
generáli (instrumental plural)

From German General, from Latin generālis.


general

es-noun

general m (plural generales, feminine general or generala, feminine plural generales or generalas)

generales (plural)
general (feminine)
generala (feminine)
generales (feminine plural)
generalas (feminine plural)


Afghan

/ˈæf(ˌ)ɡɑːn/

Borrowed from Classical Persian افغان (afġān, “Afghan”), from Bactrian αβαγανο (abagano), first attested in the fourth century CE, most likely a compound of *apāka- (“distant, faraway”), from Proto-Iranian *Hápa, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *Hápa (“away”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó + *-āna (“ethnic group”), from Proto-Indo-European *-nós, thus: "people from a distant land". Various scholars have proposed Sanskrit etymologies since the nineteenth century (especially prior to the 2007 publication of earlier Bactrian attestations for the word), but linguist Johnny Cheung notes that these are "extremely difficult to reconcile" with recent evidence pointing to a Bactrian source.

bor+

He will be in Afghan for another six months.

(UK, military slang) Clipping of Afghanistan.


storm

en-verb

storm (third-person singular simple present storms, present participle storming, simple past and past participle stormed)

storms (present singular third-person)
storming (participle present)
stormed (participle past)
stormed (past)
storm (infinitive)
storm (first-person present singular)
stormed (first-person past singular)
storm (present second-person singular)
stormest (archaic present second-person singular)
stormed (past second-person singular)
stormedst (archaic past second-person singular)
storms (present singular third-person)
stormeth (archaic present singular third-person)
stormed (past singular third-person)
storm (plural present)
stormed (past plural)
storm (present subjunctive)
stormed (past subjunctive)
storm (imperative present)
storming (participle present)
stormed (participle past)

The verb is derived from Middle English stormen (“of the wind: to blow violently; to cause to roll or toss”), from storm (noun) (see etymology 1) + -en (suffix forming the infinitives of verbs).
Compare Middle English sturmen (“to attack (someone) with great force”), from Old English styrman (“to rage, storm; to make a great noise, cry aloud, shout, storm”), from Proto-West Germanic *sturmijan (“to storm”), from Proto-Germanic *sturmijaną (“to storm”), from *sturmaz (“a storm”) (see etymology 1) + *-janą (suffix forming causatives from strong verbs, with a sense of ‘to cause to do [the action of the verb]’). The Middle English word did not survive into modern English.
The noun is derived from verb sense 2.3 (“to violently assault (a fortified position or stronghold, a building, etc.) with the aim of gaining control of it”).
Cognates
* Dutch stormen (“to bluster, storm”)
* German stürmen (“to rage, storm; to assault, attack”)
* Icelandic storma (“to storm”)
* Low German stormen (“to storm”)
* Swedish storma (“to bluster, storm”)

ŝtormi

to have strong winds and usually lightning and thunder, and/or hail, rain, or snow

щурмува́м

the storming of the Bastille

Troops stormed the complex.

All night beneath hard heavy arms to vvatch; / All day to mount the trench, to ſtorm the breach; […]

1692 (date written), Matthew Prior, “Ode; in Imitation of Horace, 3 Od. ii.”, in The Poetical Works of Matthew Prior […], volume II, London: […] W[illiam] Strahan, […], published 1779, →OCLC, stanza II, page 112:

The assailants were repulsed in their first attack, and several of their bravest officers were shot down in the act of storming the fortress, sword in hand.

1820 July, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “Philip of Pokanoket. An Indian Memoir.”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., 1st UK edition, volume II, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, pages 259–260:

The crowd was patient and never dreamed of storming Chungnanhai (which could scarcely have resisted a mass assault) and the most battle-tested groups made no attempt to send their commandos to kidnap the “highest leader.” Calm—if one may use the word—prevailed, and the group leaders were content to lead their followers in chanting slogans against Liu [Shaoqi] and quotations from Mao [Zedong]. The Chairman, like Vice-Chairman Lin Piao, had been away on a tour of inspection in the provinces since early July; at the time of the siege of Chungnanhai, he was in Wuhan.

1974, K. S. Karol, “The August of the Ultra-Left”, in Mervyn Jones, transl., The Second Chinese Revolution […], New York, N.Y.: Hill and Wang, →OCLC, page 278:

(chiefly military) To violently assault (a fortified position or stronghold, a building, etc.) with the aim of gaining control of it.

No Engines can a Tyrant find, / to ſtorm the Truth-ſupported Mind, […]

1750 March 27 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), Thomas Morell (lyrics), George Frideric Handel (music), Theodora: An Oratorio […], London: […] I. Walsh […], published [1751], →OCLC, page 17:

(figurative, often poetic) To assault or gain control or power over (someone's heart, mind, etc.).

vallata

to assault or gain control or power over (someone’s heart, mind, etc.)

(by extension, chiefly military) To move quickly in the course of an assault on a fortified position or stronghold, a building, etc.

rynnätä

to move quickly in the course of an assault on a fortified position or stronghold, a building, etc.


storm

(military) A violent assault on a fortified position or stronghold.


cow

en-noun

cow (countable and uncountable, plural cows or cattle or (archaic or dialectal) kine)

cows (plural)
cattle (plural)
kine (archaic dialectal plural)

bull

antonym(s) of “female domesticated ox or other bovine”

Sranan Tongo: kaw

Tok Pisin: kau

q

from <i class="Latn mention" lang="en">cows</i>

→ Abenaki: kaoz (from cows)

→ Maori: kau

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws
Proto-Germanic *kōz
Proto-West Germanic *kō
Old English cū
Middle English cou
English cow
Inherited from Middle English cou, cu, from Old English cū (“cow”), from Proto-West Germanic *kō, from Proto-Germanic *kōz (“cow”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws (“cow”).
Cognate with Sanskrit गो (go), Ancient Greek βοῦς (boûs), Persian گاو (gâv)), Latvian govs (“cow”), Proto-Slavic *govędo (Serbo-Croatian govedo, Russian говядина (govjadina, “beef”), Scots coo (“cow”), North Frisian ko, kø (“cow”), West Frisian ko (“cow”), Dutch koe (“cow”), Low German Koh, Koo, Kau (“cow”), German Kuh (“cow”), Swedish ko (“cow”), Norwegian ku (“cow”), Icelandic kýr (“cow”), Latin bōs (“ox, bull, cow”) (whence English beef), Armenian կով (kov, “cow”). Doublet of beef.
The plural kine is from Middle English kyne, kyn, kuin, kiin, kien (“cows”), either a double plural of Middle English ky, kye (“cows”), equivalent to modern kye + -en, or inherited from Old English cūna (“cows', of cows”), genitive plural of cū (“cow”).

etymon

the cow knows not the worth of its tail till it loses it

why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free

Colonel Red Reeder, West Point Second Classman
An assistant manager, wearing the stripes of a cadet corporal, walked up to Coach Smith. Clint knew him, a Cow from B-l. What had he done to become so outstanding that the Tacs made him a corporal?

When I was a cow (junior) at West Point, I dated a plebe (freshman), which is considered fraternization in the cadet realm.

2023, James E Parco, David A Levy, Daphne DePorres, Attitudes Aren't Free: A Call to Action, page 242:

(US, military, slang) A third-year cadet at West Point.


skirmish

skirmishes (plural)
scirmish (alternative)

From Middle English skirmish (as a verb), from Old French escarmouche (“skirmish”), from Italian scaramuccia, earlier schermugio. Doublet of escarmouche, Scaramouche, and Scaramucci.

doublet

On 2 March, Chinese border guards with the help of regular PLA forces skillfully ambushed Strelnikov's unit on the ice near Chen Pao, killing him and 30 Soviets in the subsequent skirmish.

1970 April 28, “Chen Pao Battle and Subsequent Threat Campaign”, in The Evolution of Soviet Policy in the Sino-Soviet Border Dispute, Directorate of Intelligence, published 2007, →OCLC, page 34:

The walls are slitted with embrasures through which bowmen could fire, indicating that the belfry also served as a stronghold during border skirmishes.

1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 311, about the church at Pembridge:

(military) A brief battle between small groups, usually part of a longer or larger battle or war.


stand

→ Catalan: estand

→ Danish: stand (semantic loan)

→ Dutch: stand

desctree

→ French: stand
→ Khmer: ស្តង់ (stɑng)
→ Romanian: stand

→ Italian: stand

→ Japanese: スタンド (sutando)

→ Norwegian Bokmål: stand

→ Norwegian Nynorsk: stand

→ Portuguese: estande, stand

→ Russian: стенд (stend)
→ Armenian: ստենդ (stend), սթենդ (stʻend)

→ Southern Ndebele: isitandi

→ Spanish: estand, stand

→ Swahili: stendi

From Middle English stonden, standen (verb) and stand, stond (noun, from the verb), from Old English standan (“to stand, occupy a place”), from Proto-West Germanic *standan, from Proto-Germanic *standaną (“to stand”), from Pre-Germanic *sth₂-n-t-´, an innovative extended n-infixed form of Proto-Indo-European *steh₂-.
Cognates
Cognate with Scots stand (“to stand”), Saterland Frisian stounde (“to stand”), West Frisian stean (“to stand”), dialectal German standen (“to stand”), Danish stande (“to stand”), Swedish stånda (“to stand”), Norwegian standa (“to stand”), Faroese standa (“to stand”), Icelandic standa (“to stand”), Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽 (standan), Russian стоя́ть (stojátʹ, “to stand”). Also from *steh₂-: Irish seas, Latin stare, Lithuanian stóti, Old Church Slavonic стояти (stojati), Albanian shtoj (“to increase”), Ancient Greek ἵστημι (hístēmi, “to put”), Avestan 𐬵𐬌𐬱𐬙𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬌 (hištaⁱti), Sanskrit तिष्ठति (tiṣṭhati). From the related Proto-Germanic *stāną (“to stand”): West Frisian stean, Dutch staan, German stehen, Danish stå.

スタンド

supernatural ability from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

The police and troops captured eleven thousand stand of arms, including muskets and pistols, together with several thousand bludgeons and other weapons.

1927, Herbert Asbury, The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld, Paragon House, published 1990, →ISBN, page 170:

(military, plural often stand) A single set, as of arms.


bunk

Sense of sleeping berth possibly from Scottish English bunker (“seat, bench”), origin is uncertain but possibly Scandinavian.
Compare Old Swedish bunke (“boards used to protect the cargo of a ship”).
See also boarding, flooring and compare bunch.


DDT

Various theories; see DDT (professional wrestling).

(professional wrestling) a move where a wrestler puts another wrestler into a standing front face lock and then falls backwards, driving the recipient's head into the floor.


EOF

Elswick Ordnance Factory
w:Elswick Ordnance Company

(military, historical) Initialism of Elswick Ordnance Factory.


IOC

en-noun

IOC (countable and uncountable, plural IOCs)

(military) Initialism of initial operating capability.


fuck

en-verb

fuck (third-person singular simple present fucks, present participle fucking, simple past and past participle fucked)

fucks (present singular third-person)
fucking (participle present)
fucked (participle past)
fucked (past)
fuck (infinitive)
fuck (first-person present singular)
fucked (first-person past singular)
fuck (present second-person singular)
fuckest (archaic present second-person singular)
fucked (past second-person singular)
fuckedst (archaic past second-person singular)
fucks (present singular third-person)
fucketh (archaic present singular third-person)
fucked (past singular third-person)
fuck (plural present)
fucked (past plural)
fuck (present subjunctive)
fucked (past subjunctive)
fuck (imperative present)
fucking (participle present)
fucked (participle past)
f##k (alternative)
f#$k (alternative)
f#%k (alternative)
f#*k (alternative)
f*** (alternative)
f**k (alternative)
f*ck (alternative)
f--k (alternative)
fck (alternative)
fk (alternative)
fsck (alternative)
fu#k (alternative)
fu$k (alternative)
fu*k (alternative)
fu-k (alternative)
fu...k (alternative)
fu©k (alternative)
fvck (alternative)
f—k (alternative)
f&!k (alternative)
f...k (alternative)
f…k (alternative)
fu…k (alternative)
fuxk (alternative)
F-bomb (alternative euphemistic)
F-word (alternative euphemistic)
fuk (alternative)
fuq (alternative)
phuck (alternative)
uckfay (alternative)

Flen flyys
Slate.com
University of Minnesota Press

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ-
Proto-Germanic *fukkōną
Old English *fuccian
Middle English *fukken
English fuck
From Middle English *fukken, probably of Germanic origin: either from Old English *fuccian or Old Norse *fukka, both from Proto-Germanic *fukkōną, from Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- (“to strike, punch, stab”). Compare windfucker and its debated etymology.
Possibly attested in a 772 C.E. charter that mentions a place called Fuccerham, which may mean "ham (“home”) of the fucker" or "hamm (“pasture”) of the fucker"; a John le Fucker in a record from 1278 may just be a variant of Fulcher; compare Fucher, Foker, etc. The earliest unambiguous use of the word in a clearly sexual context, in any stage of English, appears to be in court documents from Cheshire, England, which mention a man called Roger Fuckebythenavele (possibly tongue-in-cheek or directly suggestive of a depraved sexual act) on 8 December 1310. It was first listed in a dictionary in 1598. Scots fuk or fuck is attested slightly earlier, probably reinforcing the Northern Germanic/Scandinavian origin theory. From 1500 onward, the word has been in continual use, superseding jape and sard and largely displacing swive. See windfucker and fuckwind for more information.
A range of folk-etymological backronyms, such as "fornication under consent of the king" and "for unlawful carnal knowledge", are all demonstrably false.
Sense 10 from related sense feck.

der

The sergeant fucked me upside down.

(transitive, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, military slang) To scold.


DNA

An initialism of the various terms listed below. The verb sense is derived from noun sense 7.

(US, military, historical) Defense Nuclear Agency, an agency of the United States Department of Defense which existed from 1971 to 1996 and has since been reorganized as the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.


DNA

(US, military) Do not arm (that is, do not provide with a firearm).


DNA

en-verb

DNA (third-person singular simple present DNAs, present participle DNAing, simple past and past participle DNAed)

DNAs (present singular third-person)
DNAing (participle present)
DNAed (participle past)
DNAed (past)

She had her weapons back. She wasn't DNA'd anymore. But she didn't use a weapon. That's not how she did it.

2018, Jeanne Marie Laskas, To Obama, with Love, Joy, Hate and Despair, New York, N.Y.: Random House, →ISBN, page 239:

(US, military) To place (someone) under a DNA (do not arm) order because of mental illness.

kieltää aseenkanto

to place (someone) under a DNA (do not arm) order because of mental illness


kill

From Middle English killen, kyllen, cüllen (“to strike, beat, cut”), of obscure origin. Cognate with Scots kele, keil (“to kill”).
* Perhaps from unattested Old English *cyllan, from Proto-West Germanic *kwulljan, from Proto-Germanic *kwuljaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- (“to throw, hit, hurt by throwing”).
* Or, possibly a variant of Old English cwellan (“to kill, murder, execute”) (see quell).
* Or, from Old Norse kolla (“to hit on the head, harm”), related to Norwegian kylla (“to poll”), Middle Dutch kollen (“to knock down”), Icelandic kollur (“top, head”); see also coll, cole).
Compare also Saterland Frisian källe (“to hurt”), Middle Dutch kellen (“to kill, hurt”), Middle Low German kellen, killen (“to ache strongly, cause one great pain”) (whence German Low German kellen, killen (“to hurt, injure, torment, vex”)), Middle High German kellen (“to torment; torture”).

cog

l-vocalizing: UK, General Australian, New Zealand

confirmed kills

A flying ace is usually one with five or more confirmed kills.

The result of killing; that which has been killed.

(military, gaming, countable) An instance of killing; a score on the tally of enemy personnel or vehicles killed or destroyed.


twelve

twelves (plural)
XII (alternative)
twelue (alternative obsolete)

Southern US, African-American Vernacular, dated

From Middle English twelve, from Old English twelf (“twelve”), from Proto-Germanic *twalif, an old compound of *twa- (“two”) and *-lif (“left over”) (i.e., two left over after having already counted to ten), from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“leave, remain”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian tweelf, tweelif, tweelich (“twelve”), West Frisian tolve (“twelve”), Dutch twaalf (“twelve”), German Low German twalf, twalv (“twelve”), German zwölf (“twelve”), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian tolv (“twelve”), Icelandic tólf (“twelve”).

der

watch your twelve

For quotations using this term, see Citations:twelve.

(military slang, by ellipsis of twelve o'clock) Front (front side of something, position in front of something).


bomb

From French bombe, from Italian bomba, from Latin bombus (“a booming sound”), from Ancient Greek βόμβος (bómbos, “booming, humming, buzzing”), imitative of the sound itself. Doublet of bombe. Compare boom.

onomatopoeic

imitative

(professional wrestling) A professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted and then slammed back-first down to the mat.


pulpit

From Middle English pulpit, from Old French pulpite and Latin pulpitum (“platform”). Doublet of pulpitum.

In the slang of the Royal Air Force man, the cockpit of his plane is the ‘pulpit’ or ‘office’, the glass covering over it the ‘greenhouse’.

(UK military slang, dated) A plane's cockpit.


white

en-noun

white (countable and uncountable, plural whites)

whites (plural)
whight (alternative obsolete)
whyte (alternative obsolete)
whyght (alternative obsolete)
White (alternative)

Inherited from Middle English whit, hwit, from Old English hwīt, from Proto-West Germanic *hwīt, from Proto-Germanic *hwītaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱweydós, a byform of *ḱweytós (“bright; shine”).
Cognates
* West Frisian wyt
*Dutch wit
* German weiß
* German weiss
* Norwegian Bokmål hvit
* Norwegian Nynorsk kvit
* Lithuanian šviẽsti (“to gleam”), šviesa (“light”)
* Old Church Slavonic свѣтъ (světŭ, “light”), свѣтьлъ (světĭlŭ, “clear, bright”)
* Persian سفید (sefid, “white”), Persian سپید (sepid, “white”)
* Avestan 𐬯𐬞𐬀𐬉𐬙𐬀 (spaēta, “white”)
* Sanskrit श्वेत (śvetá, “white, bright”).

bělásek

common name for butterflies in the subfamily Pierinae

'Twas I won the wager, though you hit the white.

c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:

(archery) The central part of the butt, which was formerly painted white; the centre of a mark at which a missile is shot.


cane

it-noun

cane m (plural cani, feminine cagna, diminutive canìno m or canìna f or cagnétto m or cagnétta f or cagnettìno m or cagnettìna f, augmentative cagnóne, pejorative cagnàccio, endearing cagnolìno)

cani (plural)
cagna (feminine)
canìno (diminutive masculine)
canìna (diminutive feminine)
cagnétto (diminutive masculine)
cagnétta (diminutive feminine)
cagnettìno (diminutive masculine)
cagnettìna (diminutive feminine)
cagnóne (augmentative)
cagnàccio (pejorative)
cagnolìno (endearing)

From the Latin canis, canem (“dog”). Cognate with Sicilian cani.


football

en-noun

football (countable and uncountable, plural footballs)

footballs (plural)
foot-ball (alternative dated)
foot ball (alternative dated)

⇒ Azerbaijani: futbol

desc

→ Bengali: ফুটবল (phuṭbol) (transliteration)

→ Bulgarian: фу́тбол (fútbol)

→ Czech: fotbal

desctree

→ Dutch: voetbal (calque)
→ Caribbean Hindustani: futbál khele

→ French: football

desc

→ Georgian: ფეხბურთი (pexburti) (calque)

→ German: Football

desctree

→ German: Fußball, Fussball (Switzerland, Liechtenstein, sometimes Luxembourg, South Tyrol) (calque)
→ English: foosball
⇒? Luxembourgish: Foussball

desc

→ Greek: ποδόσφαιρο (podósfairo) (calque)

→ Hebrew: כדורגל (calque)

→ Hindustani:

Hindi: फ़ुटबॉल (fuṭbŏl)

→ Hungarian: futball

→ Japanese: フットボール (futtobōru)

→ Korean: 풋볼 (putbol)

→ Latvian: futbols

→ Latvian: kājbumba (calque)

→ Lithuanian: fùtbolas

→ Macedonian: фу́дбал (fúdbal)

→ Maori: whutupōro

→ Maltese: futbol

→ Norwegian Nynorsk: fotball (calque)

desctree

→ Ottoman Turkish: فوتبول
Turkish: futbol

→ Polish: futbol

→ Polish: piłka nożna (calque)

→ Portuguese: futebol

→ Romanian: fotbal

→ Russian: футбо́л (futból)
→ Armenian: ֆուտբոլ (futbol)
→ Kazakh: футбол (futbol)

⇒ Serbo-Croatian:

Cyrillic script: фу̏дба̄л

Latin script: fȕdbāl

→ Spanish: balompié (calque)

→ Spanish: fútbol, futbol (Mexico), fúbol
→ Guaraní: húvol
→? Tagalog: putbol

→ Swedish: fotboll (calque)
⇒ Finnish: futis

→ Thai: ฟุตบอล (fút-bɔn)

⇒ Tok Pisin: soka

⇒ Ukrainian: футбо́л (futból)

[ˈfʊʔt̚bɔːl]

[ˈfʊʔtʰbɔːl]

[ˈfʷʊʔt̚bɑɫ]

From Middle English fotbal, footbal, equivalent to foot + ball, which may refer to the act of kicking a ball with the feet or to the fact the game was played on foot (as opposed to on horseback or with players in fixed positions). The name for the briefcase is a play on “dropkick”, the code name of an early version of the nuclear war plan.

ավստրալական ֆուտբոլ

game in Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

ball

in all varieties of English and in all games called "football"

The aide rides, along with the president's physician, in the “control car,” third in line in the motorcade. He is responsible for the football (or “black box” or “black bag”), a briefcase containing the codes and targeting information the president would require to order or authorize a nuclear attack.

1994, Herbert L. Abrams, The President Has Been Shot: Confusion, Disability, and the 25th Amendment, Stanford University Press, →ISBN, page 126:

After the lunch broke, we walked to the Trump-Putin press conference, which started about 6 p.m. As Kelly observed to me at some point, there were now two military aides in the room, each carrying his country's nuclear football.

2020 June 23, John Bolton, The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 155:

(US military slang, countable) The leather briefcase containing classified nuclear war plans which is always near the US President.


zipper

→ Cebuano: siper

→ Esperanto: zipo

→ French: zipper

→ Japanese: ジッパー (jippā)

→ Korean: 지퍼 (jipeo)

→ Portuguese: zíper

→ Spanish: zíper

→ Tagalog: siper

1925, zip + -er. The trade name was registered in 1925 by B.F. Goodrich for “boots made of rubber and fabric,” claiming use of the name since June 1923. No longer a registered trademark.

[…] the usual gap between the time the last strike of the day departed and the first night hecklers arrived was closed with "zippers" — night fighters who, using day fighter tactics, proceeded to the target in daylight in time to relieve the last day blanket patrol.

They would handle all the night combat air patrols, the night hecklers who would go over the enemy airfields, and we formed a new little gimmick called "zippers" to help close that gap between the time the daylight strikes left the target and darkness.

1993, E. T. Wooldridge, Carrier Warfare in the Pacific: An Oral History Collection, page 268:

(US, military, slang, dated) An air patrol carried out at dawn or dusk.


sausage

en-noun

sausage (countable and uncountable, plural sausages)

From late Middle English sawsiche, from Anglo-Norman sausiche (compare Norman saûciche), from Late Latin salsīcia (compare Sicilian sausizza, Spanish salchicha, Italian salsiccia), feminine of salsīcius (“seasoned with salt”), derivative of Latin salsus (“salted”), from sal (“salt”). More at salt. Doublet of saucisse. See also Sicilian sausizza. Displaced native Old English mearh.


cast

New York, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Baltimore

Etymology tree
Proto-Germanic *kas-
Proto-Germanic *kastōną
Old Norse kastabor.
Middle English casten
English cast
From Middle English casten, from Old Norse kasta (“to throw, cast, overturn”), from Proto-Germanic *kastōną (“to throw, cast”), of unknown origin.
Cognate with Scots cast (“to cast, throw”), Danish kaste (“to throw”), Swedish kasta (“to throw, cast, fling, toss, discard”), Icelandic kasta (“to pitch, toss”). In the sense of "flinging", displaced native warp.
The senses relating to broadcasting are based on that same term; compare -cast.

cog

Cast is the measurement of the central line of the gun and the stock’s butt. If the butt is tilted slightly to the left of the central line, it’s called “cast on.” If the butt is tilted slightly to the right of the central line, it’s called “cast off.”

Savage Arms, "THE PERFECT SHOTGUN FIT," 2021

(firearms) The measurement of the angle of a shotgun stock from a top-view center line, used to align the shotgun to the shooter's eye.


mouse

en-noun

mouse (plural mice or (computing) mouses)

mice (plural)
mouses (plural)
mowse (alternative obsolete)

→ Bengali: মাউস (maus)

→ Brazilian Portuguese: mouse

→ French: souris (semantic loan)

→ Georgian: მაუსი (mausi)

→ Italian: mouse

→ Japanese: マウス (mausu)

→ Korean: 마우스 (mauseu)

→ Romanian: mouse

→ Spanish: mouse

desc

→ Thai: เมาส์ (máo), เม้าส์ (máo)

→ Thai: เมาส์ (máo), เม้าส์ (máo)

→ Vietnamese: chuột (semantic loan)

From Middle English mous, from Old English mūs, from Proto-West Germanic *mūs, from Proto-Germanic *mūs, from Proto-Indo-European *múHs.
Cognates
Germanic cognates include Old Frisian mūs, Old Saxon mūs (German Low German Muus), Dutch muis, Old High German mūs (German Maus), Old Norse mús (Swedish mus, Danish mus, Norwegian mus, Icelandic mús, Faroese mús).
Indo-European cognates include Ancient Greek μῦς (mûs), Latin mūs, Spanish mur, Armenian մուկ (muk), Old Church Slavonic мꙑшь (myšĭ) (Russian мышь (myšʹ)), Albanian mi, Persian موش (muš), Northern Kurdish mişk, Sanskrit मूष् (mūṣ).
The computing sense was coined by American engineer Bill English in 1965 and first used publicly in a publication titled "Computer-Aided Display Control", in reference to the similarity with the animal.

coin

(boxing) A facial hematoma or black eye.


dual

duals (plural)
du. (alternative abbreviation)

PIE word
 *dwóh₁
Borrowed from Latin dualis (“two”), from duo (“two”) + adjective suffix -alis.

Wrestling duals and meets take place at the Wisconsin Field House. There are no advance single event ticket sales.

2010 August 3, Kevin Revolinski, Insiders' Guide® to Madison, WI, Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, page 137:

But Dave agreed to participate in the Bulgarian dual, and that trapped me into having to wrestle, too.

2014 November 18, Mark Schultz, David Thomas, Foxcatcher: The True Story of My Brother's Murder, John du Pont's Madness, and the Quest for Olympic Gold, Penguin, →ISBN:

Early in 2021, she became the first female to compete and win a match at the Ter-Hark Cup wrestling dual, helping her squad to victory.

2023 October 19, Jason Norman, American Women in Amateur Wrestling, 2000-2022, McFarland, →ISBN, page 203:

(wrestling) A head-to-head match or meet between two teams, such as two high schools or colleges.


pip

Origin uncertain; perhaps related to Etymology 2, above.

(military, public service) One of the stylised version of the Bath star worn on the shoulder of a uniform to denote rank, e.g. of a soldier or a fireman.


pit

From Middle English pit, pet, püt, from Old English pytt, from Proto-West Germanic *puti, from Latin puteus (“trench, pit, well”), although there are phonetic difficulties.

he who digs a pit for others falls in himself

Many Bacardi & Cokes later I climbed up into my pit and fell into a deep sleep, and woke up at one thirty in the morning and threw up my tea.

2009, Julian Beirne, Diary of a Sapper, page 55:

(Antarctica and UK, military, slang) A bed.


pit

From Dutch pit (“kernel, core”), from Middle Dutch pitte, from Proto-Germanic *pittan (compare dialectal German Pfitze (“pimple”)), oblique of Proto-Germanic *piþō. Compare pith.

[...] weapons "pits" (the plutonium components of nuclear weapons, named by analogy with the pit of a fruit such as a peach), [...].

1996, “2 Background”, in :w:National Research Council (United States), editor, An Evaluation of the Electrometallurgical Approach for Treatment of Excess Weapons Plutonium, Washington DC, USA: National Academies Press, →DOI, page 15:

The Nagasaki-type [bomb] [...] had a wider range of yield potential depending on the kind of fissile core and tamper assembly, or "pit," used in it.

1999, Anne C Fitzpatrick, Igniting the Light Elements: The Los Alamos Thermonuclear Weapon Project, 1942-1952, Los Alamos, NM (United States): Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), →DOI, Thesis LA-13577-T, page 248:

(military) The core of an implosion nuclear weapon, consisting of the fissile material and any neutron reflector or tamper bonded to it.


nature

en-noun

nature (countable and uncountable, plural natures)

natures (plural)
natuer (alternative obsolete)

/ˈneɪ̯.t͡ʃəɹ/

From Middle English nature, natur, from Old French nature, from Latin nātūra (“birth, origin, natural constitution or quality”), future participle from perfect passive participle (g)natus (“born”), from deponent verb (g)nasci (“to be born, originate”) + future participle suffix -urus.
Displaced native Middle English erd (“character, nature, disposition”) from Old English eard (compare German Art (“nature, character, kind, type”)); and Middle English kinde, ikinde (“character, disposition, nature”) from Old English ġecynd. More at kind.

ncog

the wolf may lose his teeth but never his nature

...One Hundred of each Nature of Case-Shot...

1828, James Morton Spearman, The British Gunner, page 130:

B.L. cartridges have lubricators choked inside the cartridges of 40-pr. and lower natures.

1879, War Office, Manual of Siege and Garrison Artillery Exercises, page 37:

The particular way someone or something is, especially

(UK military, obsolete) Synonym of caliber: the class of a gun.


parallel

General American, Mary–marry–merry merger

From Middle French parallèle, borrowed from Latin parallelus.

(military) One of a series of long trenches constructed before a besieged fortress, by the besieging force, as a cover for troops supporting the attacking batteries. They are roughly parallel to the line of outer defenses of the fortress.


twenty

From Middle English twenty, twenti, from Old English twēntiġ (“twenty”, literally “two tens”), from Proto-Germanic *twaintigiwiz, *twai tigiwiz, an old compound of *twain- (“two”) + *-tigaz (“group of ten”), equivalent to two + -ty, or twain + -ty. Cognate with Scots twenty, tuenty (“twenty”), West Frisian tweintich (“twenty”), Dutch twintig (“twenty”), German zwanzig (“twenty”), Danish tyve.

compound

(UK, historical, military) An old English division of infantry.


league

en-noun

league (countable and uncountable, plural leagues)

→ Japanese: リーグ (rīgu)

→ Korean: 리그 (rigeu)

From Middle English liege, ligg, lige (“a pact between governments, an agreement, alliance”), from Middle French ligue, from Italian lega, from the verb legare, from Latin ligō (“I tie”).


chess

Compare French châssis (“a framework of carpentry”).

cog

the balks are laid and covered with chesses to within 1 foot of the trestle

1881, Thomas Wilhelm, A Military Dictionary and Gazetteer:

ach chess consists of three planks.

1885, Edward S. Farrow, Farrow's Military Encyclopedia; A Dictionary of Military Knowledge:

(military, chiefly in the plural) One of the platforms, consisting of two or more planks dowelled together, for the flooring of a temporary military bridge.


hand

From Middle English hond, hand, from Old English hand, from Proto-West Germanic *handu, from Proto-Germanic *handuz.
See also Dutch and Swedish hand (“hand”), Danish hånd, German Hand, West Frisian hân). Perhaps compare Old Swedish hinna (“to gain”), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰-𐌷𐌹𐌽𐌸𐌰𐌽 (fra-hinþan, “to take captive, capture”); and Latvian sīts (“hunting spear”), Ancient Greek κεντέω (kentéō, “prick”), Albanian çandër (“pitchfork, prop”).

handvol

that which is, or may be, held in a hand at once

hand

set of cards held by a player in a card game

a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

catch someone with a hand in the cookie jar

close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades

give with one hand and take away with the other

one can't hold two watermelons in one hand

talk to the hand 'cause the face ain't listening

the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world

the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world

the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing

(firearms) The small part of a gunstock near the lock, which is grasped by the hand in taking aim.

handgreep

small part of a gunstock near the lock, grasped when aiming


fall

en-noun

fall (countable and uncountable, plural falls)

ascent

antonym(s) of “act of moving to a lower position under the effect of gravity”

ascent

antonym(s) of “loss of greatness or status”

Fall Classic
Fall of Baghdad
Fall of Constantinople
Fall of Rome
Fall of Saigon
Falls-to-Falls Corridor
fall

Verb from Middle English fallen, from Old English feallan (“to fall, fail, decay, die, attack”), from Proto-West Germanic *fallan (“to fall”), from Proto-Germanic *fallaną (“to fall”).
Cognate with West Frisian falle (“to fall”), Low German fallen (“to fall”), Dutch vallen (“to fall”), German fallen (“to fall”), Danish falde (“to fall”), Norwegian Bokmål falle (“to fall”), Norwegian Nynorsk falla (“to fall”), Icelandic falla (“to fall”), Lithuanian pùlti (“to attack, rush”).
Noun from Middle English fal, fall, falle, from Old English feall, ġefeall (“a falling, fall”) and Old English fealle (“trap, snare”), from Proto-Germanic *fallą, *fallaz (“a fall, trap”). Cognate with Dutch val, German Fall (“fall”) and German Falle (“trap, snare”), Danish fald, Swedish fall, Icelandic fall.
Sense of "autumn" is attested by the 1660s in England as a shortening of fall of the leaf (1540s), from the falling of leaves during this season. Along with autumn, it mostly replaced the older name harvest as that name began to be associated strictly with the act of harvesting. Compare spring, which began as a shortening of “spring of the leaf”.

inh

(sports) A crucial event or circumstance.

(wrestling) An instance of a wrestler being pinned to the mat.


finish

From Middle English finishen, finisshen, finischen, from Old French finiss-, stem of some of the conjugated forms of finir, from Latin fīnīre, from fīnis (“end, limit, border, boundary”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- (“to stick, set up”) or from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- (“to split”).

der

(professional wrestling, slang) The ending of a match and its structure.


boy

en-noun

boy (countable and uncountable, plural boys or (eye dialect) boyz)

boys (plural)
boyz (plural pronunciation-spelling)
boi (alternative)

Jamaican Creole: bwoy

Sranan Tongo: boi, boy

→ Cebuano: boy

→ Chinese: boy

desctree

→ Dutch: boy
→ French: boy
→ Lingala: bɔ́i
→ Indonesian: boi

→ German: Boy

→ Hungarian: boy

→ Iraqi Arabic: بوي

→ Italian: boy

→ Japanese: ボーイ (bōi)

→ Polish: boy

→ Russian: бой (boj)

→ Spanish: boy

→ Swahili: boi

→ Tagalog: boy

→ Vietnamese: bồi

→ Welsh: boi

Etymology tree
Proto-West Germanic *bōjō
Old English *bōia
Middle English boye
English boy
From Middle English boy /boye (“servant, commoner, knave, boy”), from Old English *bōia (“boy”), from Proto-West Germanic *bōjō, from Proto-Germanic *bōjô (“younger brother, young male relation”), from Proto-Germanic *bō- (“brother, close male relation”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰā-, *bʰāt- (“father, elder brother, brother”).
Cognate with Scots boy (“boy”), West Frisian boai (“boy”), Dutch boi (“boy”), Low German Boi (“boy”), and probably to the Old English proper name Bōia. Also related to West Flemish boe (“brother”), Norwegian dialectal boa (“brother”), Dutch boef (“rogue, knave”), Bavarian Bua (“young boy, lad”), German Bube ("boy; knave; jack"; > English bub), Icelandic bófi (“rogue, crook, bandit, knave”). See also bully.

gloss

"boy; knave; jack"; > English <i class="Latn mention" lang="en">bub</i>

boy

formerly, African male servant in colonies

mutil

male of any age, used as a friendly diminutive

poika

affectionate term of address for male dog

since Adam was an oakum boy in Chatham Dockyard

when Adam was an oakum boy in Chatham Dockyard

Wounded... 1 Boy, 1st class, severely.

He joined the Navy as a boy second class in 1898.

(historical, military) A former low rank of various armed services; a holder of this rank.


affirmative

/əˈfɜːmətɪv/

From Middle English affirmative, affirmatyve, from Old French affirmatif, from Latin affirmativus, from affirmare (“to assert”).

(military, especially radio communications) Yes; true; correct.


action

en-noun

action (countable and uncountable, plural actions)

→ Arabic: أَكْشِن (ʔakšin)

→ Bulgarian: екшън (ekšǎn)

→ German: Action

→ Irish: aicsean

→ Hebrew: אקשן (akshn)

→ Japanese: アクション (akushon)

→ Korean: 액션 (aeksyeon)

→ Russian: экшн (ekšn)

From Middle English accioun, accion, from Old French aucion, acciun, from Latin āctiō(n) (“act of doing or making”), from āctus + action suffix -iō(n), perfect passive participle of agere (“do, act”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti; see also act, active. By surface analysis, act + -ion.

der

pump-action shotgun

The way in which a mechanical device acts when used; especially a firearm.

(firearms) The way in which cartridges are loaded, locked, and extracted from the mechanism.

He saw some action in the Korean War.


regular

en-adj

regular (comparative more regular, superlative most regular)

more regular (comparative)
most regular (superlative)
reg'lar (alternative)
reg (alternative)
reg. (alternative)

/ˈɹɛɡ.jə.lɚ/

[ˈɹɛɡ.jɪ̈.lɚ]

From Middle English reguler, from Anglo-Norman reguler, Middle French reguler, regulier, and their source, Latin rēgulāris (“continuing rules for guidance”), from rēgula (“rule”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *reg- (“move in a straight line”).

register

not etymologically related but has semantic associations

(chiefly military) Permanently organised; being part of a set professional body of troops.


Taswegian

Blend of Tasmanian + Glaswegian. Royal Australian Navy slang from about 1930. Possibly a reference to the cold climate of Tasmania, comparing it to the cold climate of Glasgow.

(Australia, navy, slang) A Tasmanian seaman.


kiwi

en-noun

kiwi (countable and uncountable, plural kiwi or kiwis)

→ Catalan: kiwi

→ Dutch: kiwi

→ French: kiwi

→ German: Kiwi

→ Korean: 키위 (kiwi)

→ Polish: kiwi

desc

→ Portuguese: quivi, quiuí, kiwi (unadapted)

And as its role grew in importance, ground commanders, or kiwis as they were called, made many mistakes in judgment […]

1953, Air Force: Official Service Journal of the U.S. Army Air Forces:

(military, slang) A member of the air force who does not fly.


kiwi

Genericized trademark from the brand of shoe polish originating in Australia, from Maori kiwi.

(Singapore, military, slang) Any kind of black shoe polish.


kiwi

en-verb

kiwi (third-person singular simple present kiwis, present participle kiwiing or kiwi-ing, simple past and past participle kiwied)

kiwis (present singular third-person)
kiwiing (participle present)
kiwi-ing (participle present)
kiwied (participle past)
kiwied (past)

Johari Salleh: Ya, ya. Better not waste time. Must prepare, tomorrow morning got inspection.
Teo Ah Beng: Ya lah, must kiwi the boots. Can borrow [lend] me your cloth?
Krishnamoorthy: Ya, no problem. You better kiwi quickly. 11 pm lights off. […]

1987, Michael Chiang, Army Daze, Landmark Books, →ISBN:

(Singapore, military, slang) To polish (boots) with black shoe polish.


mill

mills (plural)
miln (alternative obsolete)

Sranan Tongo: miri

→ Hindi: मिल (mil)

From Middle English mylne, mille, from Old English mylen, from Proto-West Germanic *mulīnu (“mill”), from Late Latin molīna, molīnum, molīnus (“mill”), from Latin molō (“grind, mill”, verb), closely allied to Proto-Germanic *muljaną (“to crush, grind”) (see English millstone). Perhaps cognate with Milne (a surname). Doublet of moline, moulin, and blin.

cog

every miller draws water to his own mill

the mill cannot grind with water that is past

He spent some time in the mill after that escapade.

(US military slang, World War I, World War II) A military prison, either guardhouse or post prison.

(military slang, World War I, World War II) A delousing station: a cootie mill.


leather

en-noun

leather (countable and uncountable, plural leathers)

Tok Pisin: let

→ Esperanto: ledo

→ Ido: ledro

From Middle English lether, from Old English leþer (“leather”), from Proto-West Germanic *leþr, from Proto-Germanic *leþrą (“leather”), possibly borrowed from Proto-Celtic *ɸlitrom, *letros, from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥tro-.
Cognate with West Frisian leare (“leather”), Low German Leder (“leather”), Dutch leder, leer (“leather”), German Leder (“leather”), Danish læder (“leather”), Swedish läder (“leather”), Icelandic leður (“leather”).


POW

After his capture he was taken to a camp for POWs.

(military) Initialism of prisoner of war.


PX

The prices at the PX are incredibly reduced.

Some straight legs caught a trooper at the post exchange (PX) one day and made him unblouse his boots.

2002, Jack Allsup, Mountains of Hope, page 50:

(US, military) Initialism of post exchange, the U.S. Army's Post Exchange.


BX

Despite the reduced price of goods at the BX, everything is of high quality.

(US, military) Initialism of base exchange, the U.S. Air Force's Base Exchange.


MIA

M.I.A. (alternative)
M. I. A. (alternative)

When his patrol didn't come back from the front, he and all his buddies were listed as MIA.

missing in action
missing in action#English

(military) Initialism of missing in action.


MIA

(military) Initialism of missing in action, a service member that did not return from action and was not found in the field.


fish

fish (countable and uncountable, plural fish or fishes)

Sranan Tongo: fisi

→ Chinook Jargon: pish

→ Finnish: fisu

→ Zulu: ufishi

From Middle English fisch, from Old English fisċ (“fish”), from Proto-West Germanic *fisk, from Proto-Germanic *fiskaz (“fish”) (compare West Frisian fisk, Dutch vis, German Fisch, Danish fisk, Norwegian fisk, Swedish fisk, Icelandic fiskur), from Proto-Indo-European *peysk- (“fish”) (compare Irish iasc, Latin piscis).

a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle

a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle

give a man a fish and you feed him for a day

teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime

neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring

neither fish nor flesh, nor good red herring

the cat would eat fish but would not wet her feet

what does that have to do with the price of fish

The second and third fish went to the middle of her long superstructure and under her forward deck.

1977, Richard O'Kane, Clear the Bridge: The War Patrols of the U.S.S. Tang, Ballantine Books, published 2003, page 344:

As we came off patrol we had some torpedoes fired at us by an enemy submarine but we dived out of the way. About April 10 we fired our fish in two salvoes at a convoy.

1999, John Winton, The Submariners: Life in British Submarines 1901-1999, page 114:

(countable, nautical, military, slang) A torpedo (self-propelled explosive device).


quarrel

quarrel (countable and uncountable, plural quarrels)

PIE word
 *kʷetwóres
From Middle English quarrel (“bolt for an arbalest, crossbow, or siege engine; (figurative) seductive glance, temptation to sin; needle (possibly one square in cross-section); small (perhaps square-shaped) opening in window tracery; a cushion (perhaps square-shaped)”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman quarel, quarele, quarrel, Middle French quarrel, and Old French quarel, quarrel, carrel (“crossbow bolt; floor tile or paving stone (rectangular- or square-shaped); small glass pane for windows”) (modern French carreau (“crossbow bolt; a tile; windowpane; a square”)), from Late Latin quarellus, quadrellus (“crossbow bolt; paving stone; a tile”), from Latin quadrum (“a square; square section; regular shape or form”) + -ellus (variant of -ulus (suffix forming diminutive nouns, indicating small size or youth)). Quadrum is ultimately derived from quattuor (“four”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres (“four”). Doublet of carreau.

nb...

quarel, quarele, quarell, quarelle, quareyll, quarrell, querel, querelle, qwarel, qwarell, (Lancashire) wharl

der

Twanged the ſtring, out flew the quarell long, / And through the ſubtile aire did ſinging pas, / It hit the knight the buckles rich among, / Wherewith his pretious girdle faſt'ned was, / It bruſed them and pearſt his hawberke ſtrong, / Some little blood downe trickled on the gras; [...]

1600, [Torquato Tasso], “The Seuenth Booke of Godfrey of Bulloigne”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold] Hatfield, for I[saac] Iaggard and M[atthew] Lownes, →OCLC, stanza 103, page 137:

Here be two arblasts, comrade, with windlaces and quarrells—to the barbican with you, and see you drive each bolt through a Saxon brain.

1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, chapter XIV, in Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 281:

The small cross-bow, called the arbalet or arbalest, is said to have been invented by the Sicilians. It was carried by the foot-soldiers, and when used was charged with a quarrel or bar-bolt, that is, a small arrow with a flat head, one of which occasioned the death of Harold [Godwinson] at the battle of Hastings, [...]

1829 January–July, [Edward Augustus Kendall], “Illustrations of History. Archery.”, in The Olio; or Museum of Entertainment, volume III, London: […] Shackell and Carfrae [for] Joseph Shackell, […], →OCLC, page 174, column 2:

"What was that?" he asked, as a hissing, sharp-drawn voice seemed to whisper in his ear. The steersman smiled, and pointed with his foot to where a short heavy cross-bow quarrel stuck quivering in the boards.

1891, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “How the Yellow Cog Fought the Two Rover Galleys”, in The White Company […], volume II, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC, page 71:

(countable, archery, historical) An arrow or bolt for a crossbow or an arbalest (“a late, large type of crossbow”), traditionally with the head square in its cross section.

cairell

arrow or bolt for a crossbow or arbalest


angle

From Middle English angle, angul, angule, borrowed from Middle French angle, from Latin angulus, anglus (“corner, remote area”). Cognate with Old High German ancha (“nape of the neck”), Middle High German anke (“joint of the foot, nape of neck”). Doublet of angulus and ankle.

cog

(slang, professional wrestling) A storyline between two wrestlers, providing the background for and approach to a feud.


arm

en-verb

arm (third-person singular simple present arms, present participle arming, simple past and past participle armed)

arms (present singular third-person)
arming (participle present)
armed (participle past)
armed (past)

Back-formation from arms (plural), from Middle English armes, from Old French armes, from Latin arma (“weapons”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂er-mo-, a suffixed form of *h₂er- (“to fit together”), hence ultimately cognate with etymology 1.

varustaa

to furnish with means of defence; to prepare for resistance; to fortify

Torpedoes were loosed, but the range was too short for them to actually arm, and they bounced harmlessly off the ship as it cut loose with its secondary and antiaircraft guns, smashing anything that it could see.

2021 March 10, Drachinifel, 14:43 from the start, in Guadalcanal Campaign - The Big Night Battle: Night 1 (IJN 3(?) : 2 USN), archived from the original on 2022-10-17:

(intransitive, of a tool, weapon, or system) To become prepared for action; to activate.


one eighty out

I read you loud and clear but it's still 180-out.


left

From Middle English left, luft, leoft, lift, lyft, from Old English left, lyft (“weak, clumsy, foolish”), attested in Old English lyftādl (“palsy, paralysis”), from Proto-Germanic *luft-, from *lubjaną (“to castrate, lop off”) (compare dialectal English lib, West Frisian lobje, Dutch lubben), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lewp-, *(s)lup- (“hanging limply”). Compare Scots left (“left”), North Frisian lefts, leeft, leefts (“left”), West Frisian lofts (“left”), obsolete Dutch lucht, leftsch, lefts, lefs (“left”), dialectal Dutch loof (“weak, worthless”), archaic Low German lucht (“left”).

cog

The world 'as got me snouted jist a treat; Crool Forchin's dirty left 'as smote me soul.

1915, C.J. Dennis, The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke, published 1916, page 13:

(boxing) A punch delivered with the left fist.


car

cars (nominative plural)
car (nominative singular)
cars (nominative plural)
cara (genitive singular)
caras (genitive plural)
care (dative singular)
cares (dative plural)
cari (accusative singular)
caris (accusative plural)
o car! (singular vocative)
o cars! (plural vocative)
caru (predicative singular)
carus (plural predicative)


cold

en-adj

cold (comparative colder, superlative coldest)

colder (comparative)
coldest (superlative)

Sranan Tongo: kowru
Aukan: koo

From Middle English cold, from Anglian Old English cald. The West Saxon form, ċeald (“cold”), survived as early Middle English cheald, cheld, or chald. Both descended from Proto-West Germanic *kald, from Proto-Germanic *kaldaz, a participle form of *kalaną (“to be cold”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“cold”).
Cognates
Cognate with Scots cald, cauld (“cold”), Saterland Frisian koold (“cold”), West Frisian kâld (“cold”), Dutch koud (“cold”), Low German kold, koolt, koold (“cold”), German kalt (“cold”), Danish kold (“cold”), Norwegian kald (“cold”), Swedish kall (“cold”).

faire froid (idiom in French; there is no translation for the adjective alone)

κάνει κρύο (kánei krýo) (idiom in Greek; there is no translation for the adjective alone)

хо́лодно (xólodno) (+ dative, “to be cold”)

olla kylmä (to feel cold; subject in the adessive case)

avoir froid (idiom in French; there is no translation for the adjective alone)

avere freddo (idiom in Italian; there is no translation for the adjective alone)

cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey

cold as a witch's tit

cold as a witch's teat, cold as a witch's tit in a brass bra

make someone's blood run cold

make the blood run cold, one's blood runs cold

(firearms) Not loaded with a round of live ammunition.


vleugel

nl-noun

vleugel m (plural vleugelen or vleugels, diminutive vleugeltje n)

vleugelen (plural)
vleugels (plural)
vleugeltje (diminutive neuter)

Afrikaans: vleuel

Negerhollands: flegn, flegon

From Middle Dutch vloghel, vlueghel, from Old Dutch *flugil, from Proto-Germanic *flugilaz. Equivalent to vliegen + -el.


men

From Middle English men, from Old English menn (“people”), from Proto-Germanic *manniz, nominative plural of Proto-Germanic *mann- (“person”). Cognate with German Männer (“men”), Danish mænd (“men”), Swedish män (“men”). More at man.

"Muster up the men in the barracks at 0600," the lieutenant said to his sergeant.

(collective, military) Enlisted personnel (as opposed to commissioned officers).


hack

en-noun

hack (countable and uncountable, plural hacks)

From Middle English hacken, hakken, from Old English *haccian (“to hack”), from Proto-West Germanic *hakkōn, from Proto-Germanic *hakkōną (“to chop; hoe; hew”), from Proto-Indo-European *keg-, *keng- (“to be sharp; peg; hook; handle”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian häkje (“to hack”), West Frisian hakje (“to hack”), Dutch hakken (“to chop up; hack”), German hacken (“to chop; hack; hoe”), Danish hakke (“to chop”), Swedish hacka (“to hack; chop”), French hacher (“to chop”).
The computer senses date back to at least 1955 when it initially referred to creative problem solving. By 1963, the negative connotations of “black hat” or malicious hacking had become associated with telephone hacking (cf. phreaking).

inh

(slang, military) Time check, as for example upon synchronization of wristwatches.

You've been busted, you lost your qualifications as section leader three times, put in hack twice by me, with a history of high speed passes over five air control towers, and one admiral's daughter!

1986, Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr., Top Gun (motion picture), spoken by Stinger (James Tolkan):

“Lieutenant Cauthen, you've got ten seconds to explain yourself before I put you in hack!”

2013, David Cauthen, When Destiny Comes to a Fork in the Road, page 426:

(uncountable, slang, naval) Confinement of an officer to their stateroom as a punishment.

Henebry's planes returned to Japan to reload, and early in the morning brought almost 3,000 more troopers to Korea […] Before sunrise next day, all troops in the maneuver had been picked up again and airlifted in “Henebry Hacks” back to Japan.

[…] so that he had to make the 300-mile journey in a “hack” plane which had spluttering engines, which did not conduce to an easy mind nor to a comfortable journey; […]

1967, Christian Advocate, volume 47, page 292:

(military, slang) An airplane of poor quality or in poor condition.


mine

From Middle English, from Old French mine, from Late Latin mina, from Gaulish (compare to Welsh mwyn, Irish mianach (“ore”)), from Proto-Celtic *meinis (“ore, metal”).

The most famous mine of the American Civil War led to the Battle of the Crater.

en:excavation for explosives under or near enemy lines

(military) A passage dug toward or underneath enemy lines, which is then packed with explosives.

минно поле

military: passage packed with explosives

Holonym: minefield

His left leg was blown off after he stepped on a mine.

The warship was destroyed by floating mines.

Pack ice, at times mounting to a height of 35 ft., snow, fog, and floating mines all played their part in the disorganisation of railway services, and most of the train ferry services were completely suspended for a month or more; [...].

1940 May, “Overseas Railways: Icebound Denmark”, in Railway Magazine, page 302:

(military) A device intended to explode when stepped upon or touched, or when approached by a ship, vehicle, or person.