battalion

[ buh-tal-yuhn ]
See synonyms for battalion on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Military. a ground force unit composed of a headquarters and two or more companies or similar units.

  2. an army in battle array.

  1. Often battalions. a large number of persons or things; force: battalions of bureaucrats.

Origin of battalion

1
1580–90; <Middle French bataillon <Italian battaglione large squadron of soldiers, equivalent tobattagli(a) battalia + -one augmentative suffix

Other words from battalion

  • sub·bat·tal·i·on, noun

Words Nearby battalion

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How to use battalion in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for battalion

battalion

/ (bəˈtæljən) /


noun
  1. a military unit comprised of three or more companies or formations of similar size

  2. (usually plural) any large array

Origin of battalion

1
C16: from French bataillon, from Old Italian battaglione, from battaglia company of soldiers, battle

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