Paramilitary

How to spell paramilitary

12 letters · 6 syllables

How to pronounce paramilitary

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does paramilitary mean?

1. adjectiveOrganised on military lines but separate from a country's official armed forces.
2. nounA member of a force organised like an army but not part of the official military.

Paramilitary in a sentence

• adjective

  The report described a paramilitary group operating along the border.

• noun

  A masked paramilitary stood guard outside the compound.

• adjective

  Police wore paramilitary uniforms during the operation.

• noun

  Witnesses claimed a paramilitary had fired the first shot.

Where does paramilitary come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word combines the Greek-derived prefix para-, meaning 'beside' or 'alongside', with the Latin root behind 'military'. That Latin root is miles, militis, meaning 'soldier', which also gives us 'militia' and 'militant'. The -ary ending, from Latin -arius, forms an adjective meaning 'relating to'. So paramilitary literally describes something organised alongside or in support of a regular army without being part of it. The compound is relatively modern, appearing in English in the 1930s as governments and observers needed a term for armed groups structured like soldiers but operating outside the official armed forces.

How the word is built

• para- (alongside, auxiliary to)
• milit- (from miles, soldier)
• -ary (relating to)