yeomanry - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
English
Noun
yeomanry (plural yeomanries)
- (historical) A class of small freeholders who cultivated their own land.
- ✤ The enfranchised yeomanry began to feel an instinct for dominion.1
- A British volunteer cavalry force organized in 1761 for home defense and later incorporated into the Territorial Army.
Etymology
From Middle English ȝemanry, yemandry, yema[n]ri, yemanrye, yomandrye, yomanry; equivalent to yeoman + -ry.
Pronunciation
- (US) IPA: /ˈjoʊmənɹi/
- Audio (Southern England): 🔊
Printed 2026-09-04.
(echo:: @ ⌗)
Footnotes
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1834–1874, George Bancroft, History of the United States, from the Discovery of the American Continent, volume, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company [et al.], →OCLC: ↩