yeomanry

noun

yeo·​man·​ry ˈyō-mən-rē How to pronounce yeomanry (audio)
1
: the body of yeomen
specifically : the body of small landed proprietors of the middle class
2
: a British volunteer cavalry force created from yeomen in 1761 as a home defense force and reorganized in 1907 as part of the territorial force

Examples of yeomanry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Many proponents and beneficiaries of the Homestead Act envisioned yeomanry as an alternative to wage labor, but not as an escape from the market economy: corn, wheat, and other cash crops predominated from the outset. Binyamin Appelbaum, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2021 In some ways this affluent proletariat viewed itself as a kind of modern yeomanry — willing to serve the country in war, but anxious to live self-sufficiently and among equals. Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 16 Aug. 2019 Research by Robert Allen, an economic historian at New York University Abu Dhabi, concludes that the big, capitalist estates which resulted from enclosure were not much more productive than common land farmed by the yeomanry. The Economist, 12 Sep. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of yeomanry was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near yeomanry

Cite this Entry

“Yeomanry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yeomanry. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

yeomanry

noun
yeo·​man·​ry ˈyō-mən-rē How to pronounce yeomanry (audio)
: a body of yeomen

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