militare
military
adjective noun mee-lee-TAH-reh Common
Origin: Latin militaris, from miles (soldier)
Also means
soldier
Usage Note
Militare functions as both an adjective (servizio militare — military service) and a noun meaning 'a soldier' or 'a serviceman'. As a noun it is masculine; the plural militari refers to military personnel collectively. The phrase fare il militare means 'to do military service'. Note: the noun use is common and the word does double duty in Italian far more than in English.
Examples
"Mio padre ha fatto il servizio militare a vent'anni."
Natural Translation
My father did military service at twenty.
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