Veteran

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈvÉ›.tÉ™.ɹən/

Origin

From Latin veterānus.

Full definition of veteran

Noun

1. A person with long experience of a particular activity.
• 2013-06-22, Engineers of a different kind, Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers....Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster. Clever financial ploys are what have made billionaires of the industry’s veterans. “Operational improvement” in a portfolio company has often meant little more than promising colossal bonuses to sitting chief executives if they meet ambitious growth targets. That model is still prevalent today.
2. A person who has served in the armed forces, especially an old soldier who has seen long service.

Derived terms

• Veterans Day

Adjective

1. Having had long experience, practice, or service.
• MacaulayThe insinuating eloquence and delicate flattery of veteran diplomatists and courtiers.
• 1913, w, Lord Stranleigh Abroad Chapter 4, Nothing could be more business-like than the construction of the stout dams, and nothing more gently rural than the limpid lakes, with the grand old forest trees marshalled round their margins like a veteran army that had marched down to drink, only to be stricken motionless at the water’s edge.
2. Of or relating to former members of the military armed forces, especially those who served during wartime.

Related terms

• inveterate

Anagrams

• aventre, Neretva, Trevena