patrol
pronunciation
How to pronounce patrol in British English:
UK [pəˈtrəʊl]
How to pronounce patrol in American English:
US [pəˈtroʊl]
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- Noun:
- a detachment used for security or reconnaissance
- the activity of going around or through an area at regular intervals for security purposes
- a group that goes through a region at regular intervals for the purpose of security
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- Verb:
- maintain the security of by carrying out a control
Word Origin
- patrol
- patrol: [17] What is now a reasonably dignified term began life as a colloquialism meaning ‘paddle about in mud’. English acquired the word via German from French patrouiller, which originally denoted ‘tramp around through the mud of a military camp – when doing guard duty, for instance’. This was an alteration of Old French patouiller ‘walk or trample in mud’, a verb based on the noun patte ‘paw’.Other English words which trace their history back to patte are patois [17] (which developed via the Old French verb patoier ‘trample on’, hence ‘treat roughly’, and originally meant ‘rough speech’) and patten ‘wooden shoe’ [14].=> patois, patten
- patrol (n.)
- 1660s, "action of going the rounds" (of a military camp, etc.), from French patrouille "a night watch" (1530s), from patrouiller "go the rounds to watch or guard," originally "tramp through the mud," probably soldiers' slang, from Old French patouiller "paddle in water," probably from pate "paw, foot" (see patten). Compare paddlefoot, World War II U.S. Army slang for "infantry soldier." Meaning "those who go on a patrol" is from 1660s. Sense of "detachment of soldiers sent out to scout the countryside, the enemy, etc." is attested from 1702.
- patrol (v.)
- 1690s, from patrol (n.) and in part from French patrouiller. Related: Patrolled; patrolling.
Example
- 1. Three soldiers were killed on patrol two weeks earlier .
- 2. In november the government deployed troops to patrol the most dangerous cities .
- 3. A florida highway patrol vehicle enters the isleworth country club in windermere , florida , where tiger woods lives .
- 4. After the avalanche mickavertedhis eyes from the reflection of the sun bouncing off thebadgeof the ski patrol captain .
- 5. The police do not patrol the area .