brigade

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A military unit consisting of a variable number of combat battalions or regiments.
2. n. A U.S. Army administrative and tactical unit composed of a headquarters unit, at least one unit of infantry or armor or both, and designated support units. A brigade can be commanded by a brigadier general or by a colonel.
3. n. A group of persons organized for a specific purpose: formed a bucket brigade to carry water to the fire.
4. v. To form into a brigade.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A party or division of troops or soldiers, whether cavalry or infantry, regulars or militia, consisting of several regiments, squadrons, or battalions, under the command of a brigadier, or brigadier-general. A brigade of horse is a body of eight or ten squadrons; of infantry, four, five, or six battalions or regiments.
2. n. A body of individuals organized, generally wearing a uniform, and acting under authority: as, a fire brigade.
3. To form into a brigade or into brigades: as, regiments of militia are brigaded with regiments of the line.
4. Hence To arrange or embody in a single collection or group; group together, as in zoölogy, under a single name.
5. n. In zoology, a division of no fixed value, used in the sense of ‘cohort,’ as a convenient term for assemblages of animals which may not be included in any of the divisions commonly employed.
6. n. A small squad of engineers or of other technical troops: as, the full sap was executed by a brigade of eight sappers.

Wiktionary

1. n. A group of people organized to perform a common purpose. e.g. a work brigade, a fire brigade
2. n. military Military unit composed of several regiments (or battalions) and including soldiers from different arms of service.
3. v. To form troops into a brigade

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Mil.) A body of troops, whether cavalry, artillery, infantry, or mixed, consisting of two or more regiments, under the command of a brigadier general.
2. n. Any body of persons organized for acting or marching together under authority.
3. v. (Mil.) To form into a brigade, or into brigades.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. form or unite into a brigade
2. n. army unit smaller than a division