Trooper

How to spell trooper

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce trooper

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does trooper mean?

1. nounA soldier, especially one in a cavalry, armoured, or airborne unit.
2. nounA police officer, especially a member of a state or mounted police force.

Trooper in a sentence

• Each trooper in the armoured regiment was issued new kit.

• A state trooper pulled the speeding driver over on the interstate.

• The young trooper trained for months before his first deployment.

• The trooper radioed the dispatcher for backup near the junction.

Where does trooper come from?

Language of origin: French

This word comes from 'troop', which English took from the French 'troupe', a word for a company or band of people, ultimately traced back to the late Latin 'troppus', meaning a flock or herd. By the early 1600s a 'trooper' specifically meant a horse soldier, that is, a member of a body of cavalry, the word being formed by adding the agent ending '-er' to 'troop'. From the soldier sense it spread to mounted police and, in the United States, to a state police officer who patrols the highways. The very same French 'troupe' also gave English the theatrical 'troupe' and its performer, the 'trouper', which is why 'trooper' and 'trouper' are constant spelling rivals: the soldier and the police officer take the double 'o', while the loyal stage performer keeps the French 'ou'.

How the word is built

• troop (a body of soldiers, from French troupe)
• -er (one who belongs to or operates)