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Glite Dictionary
trainband

trainband

9.9
A group of local men who trained as soldiers to defend their town in the 1500s to 1700s
  • noun
  • Archaic
: milicia
  • The local trainband assembled on the village green to prepare for inspection.

Examples

  • During the unrest, each trainband was expected to supply men for the defense of the town.

  • He traced his ancestry back to a captain in a colonial trainband.

  • The local trainband was called to defend the town.

  • Many towns formed trainbands during the 17th century.

  • During the unrest, each trainband was expected to supply men for the defense of the town.

  • He traced his ancestry back to a captain in a colonial trainband.

  • The local trainband assembled on the village green to prepare for inspection.

Synonyms

militia
vstrainband
265 5.8

An organized group of ordinary people who act as soldiers in emergencies

refers to a local defensive company active in the 16th to 18th centuries

Surface Forms

trainband singular
trainbands plural

Morphology

trainband = train + band (semi-transparent) = train + band

The components 'train' and 'band' are identifiable and suggest 'a group that is trained', but the historical/specialized meaning 'militia company' may not be obvious to general learners.

Etymology

Trainband comes from the older phrase trained band, built from train and band, where train here means 'trained' or 'made ready' and band means 'group'. So a trainband was a local militia, a group of men trained to defend their town.