yeomanry
nounUS /ˈjoʊmənɹi/
Etymology From Middle English ȝemanry, yemandry, yema[n]ri, yemanrye, yomandrye, yomanry; equivalent to yeoman + -ry.
1
Historical A class of small freeholders who cultivated their own land.
- The enfranchised yeomanry began to feel an instinct for dominion.1834–1874, George Bancroft, History of the United States, from the Discovery of the American Continent, volume (please specify |volume=I to X), Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company [et al.], →OCLC:
2
A British volunteer cavalry force organized in 1761 for home defense and later incorporated into the Territorial Army.
- Related terms
- yeoman