veteran Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a serviceman who has seen considerable active service
    veteran soldier.
    • the veterans laughed at the new recruits
  2. noun a person who has served in the armed forces
    vet; ex-serviceman.
  3. noun an experienced person who has been through many battles; someone who has given long service
    old stager; warhorse; oldtimer; old hand; old-timer; stager.
  4. adjective satellite rendered competent through trial and experience
    seasoned.
    • a seasoned traveler
    • veteran steadiness
    • a veteran officer

WordNet

Vet"er*an adjective
Etymology
L. veteranus, from vetus, veteris, old; akin to Gr. year, Skr. vatsara. See Wether.
Definitions
  1. Long exercised in anything, especially in military life and the duties of a soldier; long practiced or experienced; as, a veteran officer or soldier; veteran skill.
    The insinuating eloquence and delicate flattery of veteran diplomatists and courtiers. Macaulay.
Vet"er*an noun
Etymology
L. veteranus (sc. miles): cf. F. vétéran.
Definitions
  1. One who has been long exercised in any service or art, particularly in war; one who has had.
    Ensigns that pierced the foe's remotest lines, The hardy veteran with tears resigns. Addison.
    ✍ In the United States, during the civil war, soldiers who had served through one term of enlistment and had reënlisted were specifically designated veterans.

Webster 1913