legionnaire
legionnaire Lexical Profile
legionnaire Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A soldier serving in a military legion, especially the French Foreign Legion.
"The retired legionnaire wrote a memoir detailing his years of service in North Africa."
A member of a national veterans' organization or chivalric order, such as the American Legion, the Royal British Legion, or the French Legion of Honour.
"Every autumn, each local legionnaire volunteers to distribute paper poppies to raise funds for veterans."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'legionnaire' refers to a member of a modern military legion (such as the French Foreign Legion) or a veterans' association, 'legionary' is preferred by historians when referring to a soldier of an ancient Roman legion.
• Rhymes for legionnaire
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 18th century from French 'légionnaire', from Medieval Latin 'legionarius', ultimately from Latin 'legio' ('legion'), derived from 'legere' ('to choose, levy, or gather').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.