trainband

[ treyn-band ]

noun

, English History.

1. a company of trained militia organized in London and elsewhere in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.

trainband

/ ˈtreɪnˌbænd /

noun

1. a company of English militia from the 16th to the 18th century

Word History and Origins

Origin of trainband¹

1620–30; train(ed) ( def ) + band ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of trainband¹

C17: altered from trained band

Example Sentences

Next to the church, on the other side of Cross Highway was an empty field where the trainband practiced drilling.

From Literature

These were formerly the well-known local troops called “trainbands.”

From Project Gutenberg

The trainbands were called out by the Mayor, who was an ardent courtier, but the men of the trainbands were, for the most part, no less ardent Wilkites.

From Project Gutenberg

The planters stayed at home and attended to their business, the trainbands were vigilant, the servant and slave laws were construed with a harshness unknown at other seasons of the year.

From Project Gutenberg

King William's commission doubtless had its weight, but the king was three thousand miles away across the seas, and Captain Wadsworth and his trainbands were unpleasantly near.

From Project Gutenberg