Historical Warfare Vocabulary

noun weapons and ammunition; armaments

verb to supply or equip with weapons

• The soldier stood at attention with his arms by his sides.
• I like to stretch my arms out when I wake up in the morning.
• She gave him a big bear hug and wrapped her arms around him.
• The company extended its arms to help those affected by the natural disaster.

noun a blade that may be fixed to the muzzle of a rifle and used to stab an opponent in hand-to-hand fighting

• The soldier fixed the bayonet to the end of his rifle before charging into battle.
• I can't believe he actually brought a bayonet to the camping trip.
• I heard he got into a fight and pulled out his bayonet.
• Her sharp words were like a verbal bayonet, cutting through the tension in the room.

noun a period of continuous artillery fire

verb to attack or bombard with continuous artillery fire

• The enemy launched a relentless cannonade against the fortified city.
• We could hear the cannonade in the distance as the battle raged on.
• The cannonade was so loud, it felt like the whole world was shaking.
• Her words were like a verbal cannonade, leaving everyone speechless.

noun damage or loss

• The depredation of the forest by illegal loggers is causing irreversible damage to the ecosystem.
• The depredation of our picnic by ants was so annoying!
• The depredation of my closet by my sister is driving me crazy.
• The depredation of trust in our relationship is slowly tearing us apart.

verb to steal, plunder, or rob of goods or valuables by force, especially in time of war; loot

• The invading army sought to despoil the city of its riches.
• The thieves planned to despoil the house while the owners were away.
• The vandals were caught trying to despoil the park.
• The scandal despoiled his reputation in the community.

noun a member of any of several cavalry regiments in the British army

verb to compel by coercion

• The dragoon regiment was tasked with patrolling the borders of the kingdom.
• I heard that John got dragooned into helping with the school fundraiser.
• The boss dragooned me into working overtime again.
• She felt like a dragoon, pushing her team to meet the project deadline.

noun A person who engages in physical combat or conflict

• The fighting man was honored for his bravery in battle.
• That guy is a real fighting man, always ready for a challenge.
• Yo, check out the new recruit, he's a total fighting man.
• She's a strong and determined woman, a true fighting man in her own right.

noun a low-ranking enlisted soldier in the army

• The foot soldier followed orders diligently and carried out his duties with precision.
• The foot soldier did what he was told and got the job done.
• The foot soldier was just a grunt, doing all the dirty work.
• In the corporate world, the foot soldier is the one who executes the day-to-day tasks to keep the business running smoothly.

noun the act of fortifying or the state of being fortified

• The fortification of the castle walls was necessary to protect against enemy invasions.
• They're adding more fortification to the building to make it more secure.
• I heard they're beefing up the fortification on that place to keep out intruders.
• Education is the best fortification against ignorance and misinformation.

noun A soldier who is a member of a special regiment or corps, originally composed of men selected for their height and strength

• The grenadier unit was called to the front lines to provide support.
• I heard that the grenadier squad is the toughest in the battalion.
• Those grenadiers are like the badasses of the army.
• She was a grenadier in the battle against injustice, always ready to fight for what was right.

noun a sudden and violent inroad, especially of a hostile army into a foreign territory; a sudden incursion or invasion; as, the irruptions of the Goths into the Roman Empire

• The irruption of the virus led to a nationwide lockdown.
• The sudden irruption of guests caught me off guard.
• The party was going great until the irruption of drama.
• Her laughter was an irruption of joy in the room.

noun a supply or quantity of military weapons and equipment

verb None

adjective None

adverb None

pronoun None

preposition None

conjunction None

interjection None

article None

• The military stockpiled a large amount of ammunition for the upcoming operation.
• Make sure to grab some extra ammo before heading out to the shooting range.
• I heard he's got a whole stash of bullets and munitions in his garage.
• Her sharp wit was her ammunition in any argument.

noun a military operation in which enemy forces surround a town or building, cutting off essential supplies, with the aim of compelling the surrender of those inside

• The castle was under siege for several weeks before finally surrendering.
• The neighborhood was under siege by construction noise all day.
• The gamers were under siege by trolls in the online chat room.
• Her mind was under siege by negative thoughts, making it hard to focus.

adjective An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. In this case, 'unfortified' describes something that is not fortified or strengthened.

• The unfortified city was vulnerable to attack.
• The house was unfortified, making it an easy target for burglars.
• I can't believe they left their car unfortified in that neighborhood.
• Her unfortified resolve crumbled under the pressure.