Adjacent Words

Cavalry definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CAVALRY, n. A body of military troops on horses; a general term, including light-horse, dragoons, and other bodies of men, serving on horseback.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: troops trained to fight on horseback; "500 horse led the attack" [syn: cavalry, horse cavalry, horse]
2: a highly mobile army unit

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural -ries) Etymology: Italian cavalleria cavalry, chivalry, from cavaliere Date: 1546 1. a. an army component mounted on horseback b. an army component moving in motor vehicles or helicopters and assigned to combat missions that require great mobility 2. horsemen <a thousand cavalry in flight>

Britannica Concise

Military force mounted on horseback, formerly an important element in the armies of all major powers. When used in combination with other military forces, its main duties included gathering information about the enemy, screening movements of its own army, pursuing a defeated enemy, striking suddenly at detected weak points, turning exposed flanks, and exploiting a penetration or breakthrough. In the late 19th cent., largely because of the introduction of repeating rifles and machine guns, cavalry lost much of its former value. By World War I, a cavalry charge against a line of entrenched troops with rapid-firing small arms was suicidal. Armored vehicles soon replaced horses, and by the 1950s neither the U.S. nor the British army had horse-mounted cavalry units. Today's units designated "cavalry" have helicopters and light armored vehicles that are used in ways analogous to horse cavalry.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. -ies) (usu. treated as pl.) soldiers on horseback or in armoured vehicles. Phrases and idioms: cavalry twill a strong fabric in a double twill. Etymology: F cavallerie f. It. cavalleria f. cavallo horse f. L caballus

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Cavalry Cav"al*ry, n. [F. cavalerie, fr. It. cavalleria. See Cavalier, and cf. chivalry.] (Mil.) That part of military force which serves on horseback. Note: Heavy cavalry and light cavalry are so distinguished by the character of their armament, and by the size of the men and horses.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. The cavalry is the part of an army that uses armoured vehicles for fighting. ...the US Army's 1st Cavalry Division. N-SING 2. The cavalry is the group of soldiers in an army who ride horses. ...a young cavalry officer. N-SING

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Horse-soldiers, horse, mounted soldiers, mounted men.

Foolish Dictionary

That arm of the military service that engages in the real hoss-tilities.