fantassin
Definitions
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- noun A heavy-armed foot-soldier.
Examples
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The line infantryman or fantassin; continued to form the backbone of the Imperial Army, as he had previously served its revolutionary predecessors.
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An inexperienced recruit might easily double-load after an unnoticed misfire, or forget to withdraw his ramrod before pulling the trigger; similarly, a clumsy or malingering fantassin could easily contrive to spill most of the powder charge onto the ground and thus avoid the shoulder-dislocating kick of the weapon.
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Up and up we went through the grounds, a few unburned old bodies in rags of uniform still discernible here and there as the lantern swung past them, a musician in sky-blue, a fantassin and officer-of-the-guard in scarlet, forming a cross, with domestics of the palace in red-and-orange.
Note
The word 'fantassin' comes ultimately from an Italian word meaning 'foot soldier'.
