A soldier is a general English term that refers to a member of a land component of national armed forces who are without officer's commission, and serve in the rank variously equivalent to a private. A nation is a Human Cultural and Social Community. In as much as most members never meet each other yet feel a common bond it may be considered For the military meaning see Armed forces. For the Soviet sports society see Armed Forces (sports society Armed Forces An officer is a member of an armed force who holds a position of authority A Private is a Soldier of the lowest Military rank (equivalent to NATO Rank Grades OR-1 to OR-3 depending on the force served in

In most societies of the world, "soldier" is also a general term for any member of the land forces including commissioned or Non-commissioned officers. An officer is a member of an armed force who holds a position of authority A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer) also known as an NCO or Noncom, is an enlisted member of an Armed force

Etymology

The word soldier is derived from an Old French word, itself a derivation of Solidarius, Latin for someone who served in the armed forces for pay, as opposed to warriors in tribal society where every grown man is automatically a member of his clan's fighting force. Old French was the Romance Dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. For the military meaning see Armed forces. For the Soviet sports society see Armed Forces (sports society Armed Forces According to the Random House Dictionary, the term warrior has two meanings Solidare in Latin means "to pay"; Roman soldiers were paid in solidi, so-called because they were a new type of solid gold coin brought in after a reform of the Roman money system. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC The solidus (the Latin word for solid) was originally a Gold coin issued by the Romans. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79

Non-English equivalents

The common Romance origin for the words soldier and payment survives not only in French as soldat and solde, but also in other languages, like German Soldat and Sold, Spanish soldado and sueldo, Portuguese soldado and soldo, Dutch soldaat and soldij, Italian "soldato" and "soldo", Arabic "Gondi" and "moganad" and many other languages. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language

In the Russian language the world soldier is also "солдат" ("soldat"), although it is not related to the Russian word for money, but was borrowed from German use. In some languages the word soldier is derived from different etymology, for example Estonian "sõdur" is derived from word "sõda," which means "war. "

Occupational specialities

German Army soldiers in Bosnia

Iraqi soldiers preparing meal. The German Army (Deutsches Heer heɐ) is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany.

In most armed forces the word soldier has been mostly abandoned with increasing specialisation in military occupations that require different areas of knowledge and skill-sets, and have been replaced by names which reflect Arm, Service or Branch of individual's service, type of unit or operational employment or technical use such as: trooper, Commando, dragoon, infantryman, marine, paratrooper, ranger, sniper, engineer, or a sapper. The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on In Military science, the term commando can refer to an individual a Military unit, or a raiding style of military operation. A dragoon is a soldier intended primarily to fight on foot but trained also in Horse riding and cavalry combat especially The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists Marines (from the English adjective marine, meaning of the sea, from Latin language mare, meaning sea via French adjective Paratroopers are Soldiers trained in Parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force. READ DISCUSSION PAGE BEFORE MAKING ANY EDITS TO CAPTION BELOW http//en Combat engineering is a Combat service support role of using the knowledge tools and techniques of Engineering by troops in peace and war but specifically in A sapper is an individual engineer soldier usually in British or Commonwealth military service

Other terms

In some English speaking countries soldiers serving in specific occupations are referred to by terms other then their occupational name. For example military police personnel are known as "redheads" from the colour of their berets, and in the United States Army, artillerymen are sometimes referred to as "redlegs," from the branch color for artillery. Military police ( MPs) are normally the Police of a Military Organization. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities.

Other uses

A soldier who no longer serves in the armed forces is often called a veteran, a term which can also apply to a long-serving or experienced soldier who is still in the army. A veteran (from Latin vetus, meaning "old" is a person who has or is working in the armed forces

See also

• Army
• Related terms: Mercenary, Guerrilla, Militant, Combatant
• Famous groups of soldiers: Praetorian Guard, Swiss Mercenaries, Swiss Guard, Red coat, French Foreign Legion, Samurai, Household Cavalry, Conquistadors, Varangian Guard, Buffalo Soldier. An army (from Latin Armata "act of arming" via Old French armée) in the broadest sense is the land-based Armed forces A mercenary is a person who takes part in an armed conflict who is not a national or a party to the conflict and is "motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc For the British newspaper and Marxist organization see Militant tendency. A privileged combatant is a person who takes a direct part in the hostilities of an armed conflict within the Law of war and is someone who upon capture qualifies as a Prisoner The Praetorian Guard ( Latin: PRÆTORIANI was a special force of Guards used by Roman Emperors Before being appropriated Swiss mercenaries were soldiers notable for their service in foreign armies especially the armies of the Kings of France, throughout the Early Modern period of European Swiss Guards Swiss mercenary is the name given to those soldiers who have served as Bodyguards, ceremonial guards and palace guards at foreign European courts since is the term for the military nobility of Pre-industrial Japan. The term Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth to describe the Cavalry of the Household Divisions a country’s most elite or historically This article is about the Spanish explorer soldiers of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuriesfor other uses see Conquistador (disambiguation A Conquistador The Varangians or Varyags ( Old Norse: Væringjar Greek: Βάραγγοι Βαριάγοι Váraggoi / Varyágoi, Ukrainian Buffalo Soldiers is a Nickname originally applied to the members of the U
• Military animals
• Toy soldier
• Military use of children

External links

• US Army from American Revolution to 2006
• Lithuanian Soldier
• Roninreunited