Editing Military (section)

==Etymology and definitions==
[[File: Column of Marcus Aurelius - detail3.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Relief scene of Roman legionaries marching, from the [[Column of Marcus Aurelius]], Rome, Italy, 2nd century AD]]
The first recorded use of the word "military" in English, spelled {{lang|enm|militarie}}, was in 1582.<ref name="OED">{{cite OED|military|access-date = 25 March 2019}}</ref> It comes from the Latin {{lang|la|militaris}} (from Latin {{lang|la|miles}} {{gloss|soldier}}) through French, but is of uncertain etymology, one suggestion being derived from ''*mil-it-'' – going in a body or mass.<ref>{{OEtymD|military}}</ref><ref>Tucker, T.G. (1985) ''Etymological dictionary of Latin'', Ares publishers Inc., Chicago. p. 156</ref>

As a noun phrase, "the military" usually refers generally to a country's armed forces, or sometimes, more specifically, to the senior officers who command them.<ref name="OED"/><ref name="Webster">{{cite web|url=http://www.Merriam-Webster.com|title=Merriam Webster Dictionary online|website=Merriam-Webster.com|access-date=2011-08-01}}</ref> In general, it refers to the physicality of armed forces, their [[Military personnel|personnel]], [[Military technology|equipment]], and the physical area which they occupy.

As an adjective, military originally referred only to soldiers and soldiering, but it broadened to apply to land forces in general, and anything to do with their profession.<ref name = "OED"/> The names of both the [[Royal Military Academy, Woolwich|Royal Military Academy]] (1741) and [[United States Military Academy]] (1802) reflect this. However, at about the time of the [[Napoleonic Wars]], ''military'' began to be used in reference to armed forces as a whole, such as "[[military service]]", "[[military intelligence]]", and "[[military history]]". As such, it now connotes any activity performed by armed force personnel.<ref name="OED"/>