Military Words
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See also my investigation into the Ranks of the British Army.

Types of Soldier 

Word Etymology
Soldier

c.1300, from O.Fr. soudier "one who serves in the army for pay," from M.L. soldarius "a soldier" lit. "one having pay," from L.L. soldum, from acc. of L. solidus, a Roman gold coin (see solidus).
Hussar Light dragoon guards introduced into British Army in 1756. Modelled on Hussars in Prussian and Austrian armies. Huszar literally meant spy or scout. Hungarian huszár, from Serbian husar, highwayman, from Old Italian corsaro from Medieval Latin cursarius, from cursus, plunder, from Latin, run, course.
Uhlan One of a body of horse cavalry that formed part of the Polish, German, Austrian, and Russian armies. German, from Polish ulan, from Turkish olan, youth, from olul, son.
Cavalry 1546, from M.Fr. cavalerie, from It. cavalleria "mounted militia," from cavaliere 1589, from It. cavalliere "mounted soldier, knight," from L.L. caballarius "horseman," from L. caballus "horse." Sense advanced in 17c. to "knight," then "courtly gentleman," which led to adj. "disdainful" (1657).
Infantry Soldiers armed and trained to fight on foot. French infanterie, from Old French, from Old Italian infanteria, from infante, youth, foot soldier, from Latin infans, infant-, infant.
Artillery Large-calibre weapons, such as cannon, howitzers, and missile launchers, that are operated by crews, and the branch of an army that specializes in the use of such weapons. c.1390, "warlike munitions," from O.Fr. artillier. Original meaning was "any military supplies," sense of "engines for discharging missiles" (catapults, slings, bows, etc.) is from 1496; that of "ordnance, large guns" is from 1533.
Archer c.1300, from O.Fr. archier, from L. arcus "bow".
Armour 13c., from O.Fr. armeure, from L. armatura "arms, equipment," from arma "arms, gear." Probably would have died out with jousting if not for late 19c. transference to metal-shielded machinery beginning with U.S. Civil War ironclads.
Commando Afrikaans, "a troop under a commander," from Port., lit. "party commanded," in use c.1809 during the Peninsula campaign, then from 1834, in a S. African sense, of military expeditions of the Boers against the natives. Modern sense is from 1940, first attested in Winston Churchill's writings, who may have picked it up during the Boer War.

Unit Names

Word Etymology
Brigade 1637, from Fr. brigade, from It. brigata "troop, crowd, gang," from brigare "brawl, fight," from briga "strife, quarrel," perhaps of Celt. or Germanic. origin.
Regiment A military unit of ground troops consisting of at least two battalions, usually commanded by a colonel. Middle English, government, rule, from Old French, from Late Latin regimentum, rule, from Latin regere, to rule.
Battalion 1589, from M.Fr. bataillon, from It. battaglione "battle squadron," from dim. of V.L. battalia "battle." Specific sense of "part of a regiment" is from 1708.
Company Middle English compaignyon, from Old French compaignon, from Vulgar Latin *compani, *companion- : Latin com-, com- + Latin panis, bread
Squadron Italian squadrone, augmentative of squadra, squad both from Vulgar Latin *exquadra, square.
Platoon French peloton, from Old French, diminutive of pelote, ball.

Middle English pelet, from Vulgar Latin *pilotta, diminutive of Latin pila, ball.

Troop 1545, from M.Fr. troupe, from O.Fr. trope "band of people, company, troop," probably from Frank. *throp "assembly, gathering of people".
Battery 1531, "action of battering," from M.Fr. batterie, from O.Fr. baterie, from batre "beat," from L. bauttere "beat." Meaning shifted in M.Fr. from "bombardment" to "unit of artillery."

Various

Cenotaph Sepulchral monument (literally 'empty tomb') to person whose body is elsewhere. Perhaps the best known is the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London, England, which commemorates the dead of the 1914-1918 and 1939-1945 Wars.
Khaki Dust-coloured uniform-cloth, from Hindustani  word for dust. 'Khakis' was the nickname of the Corps of Guides, from their early use of this colour; 'khaki patch' army slang for a slice of the day's beef ration, eaten for breakfast.
Army c.1390, from O.Fr. armée, from M.L. armata "armed force," from L. armare "to arm," related to arma "tools, arms". Originally used of expeditions on sea or land; the specific meaning "land force" first recorded 1786.
Grenade 1591, from M.Fr. grenade "pomegranate," from O.Fr. pomegrenate (infl. by Sp. granada), so called because the many-seeded fruit suggested the powder-filled, fragmenting bomb, or from similarities of shape. Grenadiers (1676) originally were soldiers "who were dexterous in flinging hand-granados" (Evelyn).
Tank An armoured and armed fighting vehicle, driven and steered by its tracks. The word was originally a codeword in the 1914-1918 War, used to mislead the enemy over what was being supplied, under covers, to the front.
Turret c.1300, "small tower," from O.Fr. touret, dim. of tour "tower," from L. turris
Fascine A cylindrical bundle of sticks bound together for use in construction, as of fortresses, earthworks, sea walls, or dams.

French, from Latin fascna, from fascis, bundle.

Shrapnel Type of ammunition designed to be effective against personnel. An explosive round surrounded by a pre-fragmented case. Invented in 1784 by Henry Shrapnel (1761-1842) an officer in the Royal Artillery.