dragoon

dragoon
dragoonage, n.
/dreuh goohn"/, n.
1. (esp. formerly) a European cavalryman of a heavily armed troop.
2. a member of a military unit formerly composed of such cavalrymen, as in the British army.
3. (formerly) a mounted infantryman armed with a short musket.
v.t.
4. to set dragoons or soldiers upon; persecute by armed force; oppress.
5. to force by oppressive measures; coerce: The authorities dragooned the peasants into leaving their farms.
[1615-25; < F dragon, special use of dragon DRAGON, applied first to a pistol hammer (so named because of its shape), then to the firearm, then to the troops so armed]

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In late 16th-century Europe, a mounted soldier who fought as a light cavalryman on attack and as a dismounted infantryman on defense.

The term derived from his weapon, a short musket called the dragoon. Dragoons were organized in companies, and their officers bore infantry titles. By the 18th century, dragoon referred to members of certain cavalry regiments. The term is still applied in the British Army to certain armoured reconnaissance units.

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      in late 16th-century Europe, a mounted soldier who fought as a light cavalryman (cavalry) on attack and as a dismounted infantryman (infantry) on defense. The terms derived from his weapon, a species of carbine or short musket called the dragoon. Dragoons were organized not in squadrons but in companies, and their officers and noncommissioned officers bore infantry titles. From the early wars of Frederick II the Great of Prussia in the 18th century, dragoon has referred to medium cavalry. The light cavalry of the British army in the 18th and early 19th centuries was for the most part called light dragoon. In the 20th century, dragoon regiments were converted to armoured formations; the French army also reorganized some dragoon regiments as motorized infantry (dragons portés).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Dragoon — Dra*goon (dr[.a]*g[=oo]n ), n. [F. dragon dragon, dragoon, fr. L. draco dragon, also, a cohort s standard (with a dragon on it). The name was given from the sense standard. See {Dragon}.] 1. ((Mil.) Formerly, a soldier who was taught and armed to …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Dragoon — Dra*goon , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Dragooned}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Dragooning}.] 1. To harass or reduce to subjection by dragoons; to persecute by abandoning a place to the rage of soldiers. [1913 Webster] 2. To compel submission by violent measures;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • dragoon — index bait (harass), coerce, persecute Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • dragoon — (n.) 1620s, from Fr. dragon carbine, musket, because the guns the soldiers carried breathed fire like a dragon. The verb is from 1680s, lit. to force by the agency of dragoons (which were used by the French kings to persecute Protestants). Also… …   Etymology dictionary

  • dragoon — ► NOUN 1) a member of any of several British cavalry regiments. 2) historical a mounted infantryman armed with a carbine. ► VERB ▪ coerce into doing something. ORIGIN originally denoting a kind of carbine or musket, thought of as breathing fire:… …   English terms dictionary

  • dragoon — [drə go͞on′] n. [Fr dragon (see DRAGON): ? so called from their fire breathing weapons] 1. Historical a) a mounted soldier armed with a short musket (called a dragon), capable of fighting on horseback or on foot b) a heavily armed cavalryman 2. a …   English World dictionary

  • Dragoon — This article is about mounted infantry, later cavalry, troops. For other uses, see Dragoon (disambiguation). Statue of a dragoon on the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in Paris The word dragoon originally meant mounted infantry, who were trained in… …   Wikipedia

  • Dragoon — The Legend of Dragoon The Legend of Dragoon Éditeur Sony Computer Entertainment Développeur Sony CE Japan …   Wikipédia en Français

  • dragoon — I UK [drəˈɡuːn] / US [drəˈɡun] noun [countable] Word forms dragoon : singular dragoon plural dragoons a soldier in the past who rode a horse and used a gun II UK [drəˈɡuːn] / US [drəˈɡun] verb Word forms dragoon : present tense I/you/we/they… …   English dictionary

  • dragoon — dra|goon1 [drəˈgu:n] n [Date: 1600 1700; : French; Origin: dragon dragon, gun, soldier with a gun ] a soldier in past times who rode a horse and carried a gun and sword dragoon 2 dragoon2 v dragoon into [dragoon sb into sth] phr v to force… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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