infantry

noun

in·​fan·​try ˈin-fən-trē 

plural infantries

1

a

: soldiers trained, armed, and equipped to fight on foot

b

: a branch of an army composed of these soldiers

2

: an infantry regiment or division

Did you know?

The Italian word fante (from Latin infans, “infant, child”) originally meant “child,” later “youth, boy,” and then “servant.” In the 14th century, fante also took on the sense “foot soldier.” In Renaissance times, the fanteria, foot soldiers collectively, became a significant branch of arms, and the Italian word infanteria, was borrowed into English in the 1500s.

Examples of infantry in a Sentence

He joined the infantry after leaving school.

Recent Examples on the Web

At the end of the day, this means that an infantry squad can simply swap magazines and suddenly be able to lay down a lead blizzard against incoming drones. —David Szondy april 19, New Atlas, 19 Apr. 2026

After discovering that the infantry is mounting an attack on Southern forces, Henry considers the chance to clear his name and finally fight for his country. —Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026

The United States Army is moving closer to fielding its next-generation infantry fighting vehicle, as American Rheinmetall revealed fresh details about the Lynx XM30 while the Pentagon prepares a $547 million procurement request for fiscal year 2027. —Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026

George, a career infantry officer who graduated from West Point, was nominated by former President Biden. —Filip Timotija, The Hill, 2 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French & Old Italian; Middle French infanterie, from Old Italian infanteria, from infante boy, foot soldier, from Latin infant-, infans

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

infantry

noun

in·​fan·​try ˈin-fən-trē 

plural infantries

: a branch of an army made up of soldiers trained, armed, and equipped to fight on foot

Etymology

from early French infanterie and early Italian infanteria, both meaning "infantry," from early Italian infante "infant, boy, foot soldier," from Latin infans "infant"

Word Origin

In the Middle Ages in France, a young soldier from a good family who was not yet a knight was called enfant, which means "child." Likewise, in Italy a soldier moving on foot behind a knight riding a horse was an infante. Later, Italian foot soldiers as a group became known as infanteria, which was borrowed into French as infanterie and into English as infantry.