By All Military Meanings Necessary: Vocab Quiz

Question: Deriving from German, which is “a unit of persons or vehicles employed for reconnaissance, security, or combat”?

Answer: A patrol is “a unit of persons or vehicles employed for reconnaissance, security, or combat,” deriving from the German Patrolle (which in turn derived from the French patrouille).

Question: From a Dutch word literally meaning “permission,” which is “a leave of absence granted to a governmental or institutional employee (such as a soldier or civil servant)”?

Answer: From a Dutch word literally meaning “permission,” a furlough is “a leave of absence granted to a governmental or institutional employee (such as a soldier or civil servant).”

Question: Which is “a usually temporary encampment under little or no shelter”?

Answer: A bivouac is “a usually temporary encampment under little or no shelter.”

Question: Deriving from French and Italian, which word describes “soldiers trained, armed, and equipped to fight on foot”?

Answer: Deriving from French and Italian, the word infantry describes “soldiers trained, armed, and equipped to fight on foot.”

Question: Which word, from an obsolete French dialect word, means “a newly enlisted or drafted member of the armed forces”?

Answer: “A newly enlisted or drafted member of the armed forces” is called a recruit, a word that derives from an obsolete French dialect word for “fresh growth” and “new levy of soldiers.”

Question: Referencing the king of Epirus’s heavy losses sustained while defeating the Romans, which word describes something, often a victory in battle, “achieved at excessive cost”?

Answer: Referencing the king of Epirus’s heavy losses sustained while defeating the Romans, a Pyrrhic victory is one “achieved at excessive cost.”

Question: Taken into written English from French, which word describes “a group of soldiers”?

Answer: Taken into written English from French, the word troop means “a group of soldiers.”

Question: Which word, first known to be used in the 15th century, means “military operations between enemies”?

Answer: Defined as “military operations between enemies,” the word warfare was first known to be used in the 15th century.

Question: Which word, first recorded in English in 1737, describes “a bar at a military post or camp”?

Answer: Canteen, a word first recorded in English in 1737, is “a bar at a military post or camp.”

Question: Which architectural structure was devised so soldiers could be protected from their enemies while discharging arrows and other missiles?

Answer: Battlements were devised so soldiers could be protected from their enemies while discharging arrows and other missiles.

Question: Which is an area for temporary or semipermanent sheltering of troops?

Answer: A camp is an area for temporary or semipermanent sheltering of troops.

Question: From Middle English, which describes “one of a class of armed services personnel serving on shipboard or in close association with a naval force”?

Answer: From Middle English, marine describes “one of a class of armed services personnel serving on shipboard or in close association with a naval force.”

Question: From Medieval Latin, which word means “to surrender often after negotiation of terms”?

Answer: From Medieval Latin, the word capitulate means “to surrender often after negotiation of terms.”

Question: Which is a body of troops headed by a colonel and organized for tactical control into companies, battalions, or squadrons?

Answer: A regiment is a body of troops headed by a colonel and organized for tactical control into companies, battalions, or squadrons.

Question: Which is a principal subdivision of a military company, battery, or troop?

Answer: A platoon is a principal subdivision of a military company, battery, or troop.

Question: What is the name of “one engaged in military service and especially in the army”?

Answer: A soldier is “one engaged in military service and especially in the army”; the word’s first known use was in the 14th century.