army
UK[ˈɑːmi]US[ˈɑːrmi]
n
A large organized military force trained for war on land.
n
A large number of people or things involved in a particular activity.
Etymology
The word 'army' entered English in the late Middle English period, borrowed from the Old French 'armee', meaning an armed expedition or a body of armed men. This Old French term was itself derived from the Medieval Latin 'armata', the feminine past participle of 'armare', meaning 'to arm'. The ultimate source is the Latin 'arma', signifying 'arms' or 'weapons'. Thus, the core concept has evolved from the general notion of being 'armed' to specifically denote a large, organized body of armed land forces, and further extended metaphorically to any large, organized group.
Analysis
The word 'army' is a simplex loanword from French. It cannot be meaningfully segmented into productive morphemes within modern English spelling.
Examples
He served in the army for ten years.
An army of volunteers helped clean up the park.
The film required an army of special effects artists.