milites

Milites is the Latin plural noun meaning soldiers. The singular form is miles, and milites is the nominative plural used in Classical Latin. The noun is declined as a third-declension masculine noun; standard forms include genitive singular militis and dative singular militi, with accusative singular miles. In the plural, the forms are milites (nominative), militum (genitive), militibus (dative and ablative), and milites (accusative).

In Roman texts, milites can denote soldiers in general or refer to the rank-and-file of a particular army, from legions to auxiliaries. It appears in inscriptions, histories, and military documents, often with adjectives or other nouns to specify origin, allegiance, or unit.

Etymology and relations: Milites derives from miles, the Latin word for soldier. It is the cognate of modern terms such as militia and military in many languages, reflecting the shared idea of armed service.

Modern usage: In scholarly writing about ancient Rome, milites is used as the Latin term for soldiers rather than as a modern title or organization. It is not a proper name for a specific group unless specified by context.

See also: miles, militia, legion, Roman army.