US /ˈhɑːplaɪt/ UK /ˈhɒplaɪt/
noun Freq #130117

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    a heavily armed citizen infantry soldier of ancient Greece, typically carrying a spear and large round shield

    Each hoplite held his place in the tightly packed phalanx.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a heavily armed citizen... infantrymanspearmanfoot soldier
Word family
Derived forms hoplitic
Related forms phalanxaspisinfantryspear

Etymology

From Ancient Greek hoplites, 'heavily armed foot soldier,' from hoplon, 'weapon, armor,' later especially the large shield associated with such troops.

Topics

markdown

Send feedback

Optional — only if you'd like a reply.