Soldats de Marine, Fr. Marines, or soldiers, who do duty on board ships of war.
Soldats Gardiens, Fr. A description of invalid soldiers, so called during the French monarchy. They were stationed at the sea-ports. There were 300 at Toulon, ditto at Rochefort and Brest, and fifty at Havre-de-Grace. There were besides 300 in each of the first three ports, who received half-pay.
SOLDE, Fr. The pay and subsistence, &c. which are issued to officers and soldiers are so called.
Demie SOLDE, Fr. Half pay. The French likewise say—à demie paye—On half-pay.
SOLDIER, A piece of money; the pay of a soldier. Dr. Johnson derives the word from solidarius, low Latin of solidus. We conceive it to be immediately taken from the French soldat, which comes from the Latin solidarius Veget. A soldier in pay—a solido quem meretur. Some again trace both the English and French word to the Italian Soldato, and others to the German Soldat. Sola in German signifies pay. So that originally soldier meant only one who listed himself to serve a prince or state, in consideration of certain daily pay.
Soldier now generally signifies any military man.
Private Soldier, a man in the ranks; one under the degree of a corporal; as distinct from the commanders.
A real Soldier, a term among military men to mark out one who knows and does his duty.
No SOLDIER. An expression of familiar currency in the British service. It is sometimes used as a term of reproach, and sometimes of harmless irony; as “you are a dirty fellow and no soldier.”
Citizen SOLDIER, (Soldat citoyen, Fr.) In a general acceptation of the term, a citizen soldier signifies any man who is armed for the support and vindication of his country’s rights.