special court-martial
1
7.7
- noun
- /ˈspɛʃəl kɔrtˈmɑrʃəl/
- Formal
:
consejo de guerra especial
- In certain cases, a special court-martial may impose confinement for up to one year.
Examples
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Three officers served as members on the special court-martial panel.
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A special court-martial convened to address the allegations against him.
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The accused was brought before a special court-martial for misconduct during training exercises.
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The soldier was tried by a special court-martial for misconduct.
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Jeremy Sivits, a military police officer, will face a special court-martial for his involvement in the prison scandal.
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Whelan was discharged from the Marines after being convicted of larceny in a special court-martial in January 2008.
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Allen noted that the first military police officer charged with abuses at Abu Ghraib will go on trial before a special court-martial next week.
Synonyms
56
7.4
A military court that tries soldiers for breaking military rules
10
4.9
A group of officers who try members of the armed forces for breaking their rules
How Serious
- Specialized
56
7.4
- Formal
1
7.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward adjective+noun combination: 'special' (a particular/not ordinary) modifying 'court-martial' (a military court), so a B1 learner who knows both words will infer it denotes a particular type of military court. While legal technicalities (e.g. the exact level of seriousness) require specialist knowledge, the basic compositional meaning is directly derivable and follows common cross-linguistic patterns of noun qualification.
Etymology
Special court-martial comes from military practice of forming a small, special court-martial made of a few officers to try 'less serious' offenses. That's why the phrase means a military court for lower-level offenses.