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

The situation was nowhere near that point when President Trump ordered a Marine infantry battalion to Los Angeles. —Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 15 June 2025

More than two dozen M1 Abrams tanks, scores of infantry vehicles and thousands of soldiers are expected to be involved in the event. —Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 14 June 2025

The Army has estimated more than 6,000 soldiers will participate in the event -- an all-day ordeal that's expected to include a fitness competition, festival and parade complete with tanks and infantry vehicles, helicopter flyovers and parachute jumps. —Sarah Beth Hensley, ABC News, 12 June 2025

The company is also working on new infantry goggles for the US Army, a project that could be valued at more than $20 billion in the next decade if all options are exercised. —Bloomberg, Oc Register, 5 June 2025

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.