militia
An army of trained civilians, which may be an official reserve army, called upon in time of need, the entire able-bodied population of a state which may also be called upon, or a private force not under government control.
Other meanings
the national police force of certain countries (e.g. Belarus).
Synonyms
- reserves
Related words
- antimilitia
- militialike
- militiaman
- militiaperson
- militiawoman
Word history
From Latin "mīlitia" (army, military force/service).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “militia” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.