Troop

The term troop has several different meanings, depending on context. It derives from the middle French word Troupe (1540's), which present-day means an actor or other form of entertainer, typically one with long experience. The verb Troop means "to assemble" or "to march" and the noun, in it's simplest form, means "body of soldiers." Troop also generally refers to a small military formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. A cavalry soldier of private rank is called a trooper in many Commonwealth armies and is usually abbreviated as "Tpr."

However, in this particular definition, term "troop" or its plural form "troops" refers to members of the military as a collective, namely as in "the troops" - a body of soldiers.

References / notes

The above term is listed in our Compendium of the Great War.

This compendium forms the central hub of words, phrases, people, and places relative to the Great War period of 1914–1918. These also include battles, political events, ships, trench slang, British and American service terms and expressions in everyday use, nicknames, sobriquets, the titles of British and Commonwealth Regiments and their origins, and also warfare in general. These words and phrases are contemporary with the war, which is reflected in the language used, some of which may seem derogatory by today's standards. Feel free to expand upon and improve this content.

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