grenadier

C2 Topic:War & Conflict
US /ˌɡrɛnəˈdɪr/ UK /ˌɡrenəˈdɪə/
noun Freq #56889

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    a soldier originally trained to throw grenades, and later a member of an elite infantry regiment or guard unit

    The grenadier stood with the regiment outside the palace gates.

  2. 2
    noun

    a deep-sea fish with a large head and a body tapering into a long pointed tail

    The survey camera recorded a grenadier swimming just above the ocean floor.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a soldier originally... infantrymanguardsmangrenade thrower
2 noun · a deep-sea fish with a... rattailrattail fish
Word family
Forms grenadiers
Related forms grenadeinfantryGrenadier Guards

Etymology

Borrowed from French grenadier, formed from grenade + the occupational suffix -ier. It first denoted a soldier selected to throw grenades, then members of specialized or elite infantry units. The fish name was applied separately to deep-sea rattails.

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