Usage Note: The English word cohort comes from the Latin word cohors, which meant “an enclosed area” or “a pen or courtyard enclosing a group of cattle or poultry.” By extension, the word could refer to any group in general and in particular to a company of soldiers or a troop of cavalry in the army of ancient Rome. The group of men forming the bodyguard of a Roman general or the retinue of a provincial governor was also called a cohors. Because of this history, some people insist that the English word cohort should be used to refer only to a group of people and never to an individual person. But the use of cohort in reference to individuals is common, especially in the plural, and enjoys some acceptance; in our 2017 ballot, 52 percent of the Usage Panel accepted the sentence The cashiered dictator and his cohorts have all written their memoirs. The traditional usage referring to a group enjoys stronger approval: 69 percent accepted The gangster walked into the room surrounded by his cohort, and 84 percent accepted the sentence Like many in her cohort, she was never interested in kids when she was young, which uses the word in a more specialized sociological or demographic context.