Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A company of trained militia in England or America from the 16th to the 18th century.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A force of citizen soldiery identified with London; especially, one company or division of this force.
- noun Sometimes used adjectively:
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun engraving A band or company of an organized military force instituted by James I. and dissolved by Charles II.; -- afterwards applied to the London militia.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun historical a company of trained civilian
militia operating inEngland andNorth America between the 16th and the 18th centuries
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a company of militia in England or America from the 16th century to the 18th century
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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And he proceeded to write some sentences, which he handed in to the clerk, who read out in his calm voice: "John Gilpin was a citizen of credit and renown; a trainband captain eke was he of famous London town."
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At noon of May 31, 1689, Leisler summoned the citizens to arms by beat of drum, mustering his own trainband before his house.
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In Weaver v. Ward,/1/the defendant set up that the plaintiff and he were skirmishing in a trainband, and that when discharging his piece he wounded the plaintiff by accident and misfortune, and against his own will.
The Common Law Oliver Wendell Holmes 1888
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Except the malefactors whom we have described, and the diseased or infirm persons, the whole male population of the town, between sixteen years and sixty, were seen in the ranks of the trainband.
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AT noon of on autumnal day, more than two centuries ago, the English colors were displayed by the standard-bearer of the Salem trainband, which had mustered for martial exercise under the orders of John Endicott.
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"Humph! To-morrow you will deliver ten guns to the captain of the trainband at the court-house.
Prisoners of Hope A Tale of Colonial Virginia Mary Johnston 1903
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