n. 1. a. A military unit typically consisting of a headquarters and two or more companies, batteries, or similar subunits. b. A large body of organized troops. 2. A great number: battalions of ants. [French bataillon, from Old French, from Italian battaglione, augmentative of battaglia, from Vulgar Latin *battalia; see BATTLE.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.