military-industrial
UK[ˈmɪlɪtəri ɪnˈdʌstriəl]US[ˈmɪləteri ɪnˈdʌstriəl]
adj
Relating to or involving the armed forces and the large-scale manufacturers who supply them, especially when seen as a combined political and economic force.
Morpheme Breakdown
military
industrial
military
armed forces
industrial
manufacturing
Etymology
The compound adjective "military-industrial" is a modern formation, coined in the mid-20th century to describe the deep, systemic interconnection between a nation's defense establishment and its arms-producing corporations. The first element, "military," traces back to the Latin miles for "soldier," embodying the sphere of state-organized armed force. The second element, "industrial," derives from Latin industria, originally meaning "diligence," which evolved to signify the sector of mechanized production. The fusion of these two concepts into a single hyphenated term captures the perceived fusion of strategic national security interests with the economic and political power of large-scale capital, most famously critiqued in President Dwight D. Eisenhower's 1961 warning about the "military-industrial complex."
Analysis
Structure: military (armed forces) + industrial (manufacturing)
- military: From Latin militaris (of a soldier, of war), from miles (soldier). Functions as an adjective meaning "relating to armed forces."
- industrial: From Latin industria (diligence, activity) via industry, with the suffix -al forming an adjective. Functions as an adjective meaning "relating to large-scale manufacturing."
Examples
The senator called for an investigation into the military-industrial lobby's influence on foreign policy.
The country's economy became dangerously dependent on the military-industrial sector.
His research focuses on the history of the military-industrial complex during the Cold War.