Paratroops

Paratroops

Noun (plural) · /ˈpærətruːps/ · soldiers trained to parachute into battle

Definition

Military personnel trained and equipped to be dropped from aircraft by parachute into a combat zone. The singular form paratrooper refers to an individual soldier. Paratroops as a collective noun refers to the unit or the soldiers as a group. A portmanteau of parachute and troops.

Origin

Coined in the late 1930s as military forces developed airborne assault tactics. The prefix para- comes from the Italian parare (to shield or defend against) combined with the French chute (fall). The concept of paratroops was pioneered by the Soviet Union in the 1930s and adopted rapidly by Germany, Britain, and the United States during the Second World War.