Thread replies: 5
Thread images: 1
Thread images: 1
File: maxresdefault.jpg (72KB, 1280x720px) Image search:
[Google]
72KB, 1280x720px
I have a hard time understanding (not a native speaker) one of the definitions of the word "army" in the Oxford English Dictionary. It's:
"(fig. from 3.) A marshalled host. "
and the examples of sentences are as follows:
1593 Shakes. Rich. II, iii. iii. 87 Mustring‥on our behalfe, Armies of Pestilence.
1611 Bible Joel ii. 25 The caterpiller, and the palmer worme, my great armie.
1845 Whately Let. in Life (1866) II. 77 It is time that these two armies [the two opposed parties in the House of Commons] should as soon as possible be disbanded.
1857 Livingstone Trav. v. 104 An army of locusts.
I get that "marshalled" means something like "organized", but can't figure out the meaning of "host" here. At first I though it must have something to do with vermin, but the 3rd example sentence doesn't fit that (I think).
Can anyone help?
>>
>>2997298
any army doesn't have to mean a military group. It can mean a large group of people who come together for any reason.
>>
>>2997302
Yes, I have all those meanings, but this "marshalled host" is supposed to be separate, I think.
I might be getting an idea. Can it mean "an organized swarm", where "swarm" is like, a bunch of insects? That would explain why 3 sentences concern insects and the other one could fit too?
>>
>>2997298
There are two sources for the homonyms 'host' in English
First, a person who receives guest, from Latin hospes (accusative hospitem)
The second, from Latin hostis, which meant enemy in Latin and later came to mean army.
>>
>>2997298
Host also means group.
i.e host of angels
Thread posts: 5
Thread images: 1
Thread images: 1