infantry Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an army unit consisting of soldiers who fight on foot
    foot.
    • there came ten thousand horsemen and as many fully-armed foot

WordNet

In"fan*try noun
Etymology
F. infanterie, It. infanteria, fr. infante infant, child, boy servant, foot soldier, fr. L. infans, -antis, child; foot soldiers being formerly the servants and followers of knights. See Infant.
Definitions
  1. A body of children. Obs. B. Jonson.
  2. (Mil.) A body of soldiers serving on foot; foot soldiers, in distinction from cavalry.

Webster 1913