Today’s Spanish word of the day is “ejército”.
It’s a masculine noun meaning “army”.
Like in English, it can also be used more metaphorically to refer to a group working together, for example:
- Un ejército de hormigas invadió la cocina buscando comida. – An army of ants invaded the kitchen looking for food.
The word “ejército” comes from the Latin exercitus, which also meant “army”, or a military group more generally. Latin exercitus is related to the English word “exercise” and the Spanish verb “ejercitar”, which can mean “to practice”, “to train” or “to exercise”. Note however, that when talking about physical exercise in Spanish it’s more common to use a phrase like “hacer ejercicio” (literally “do exercise”) or “hacer deportes” (literally “do sports”) rather than the verb “ejercitar”.
Example sentences
El ejército construyó puentes después de las inundaciones.
The army built bridges after the floods.
Cada mañana, el ejército entrena cerca del río.
Every morning, the army trains near the river.
Un ejército invisible de microorganismos protege nuestro cuerpo.
An invisible army of microorganisms protects our body.
Mi tío trabajó en el ejército durante veinte años.
My uncle worked in the army for twenty years.
Si el ejército hubiera llegado antes, quizás el resultado habría sido diferente.
If the army had arrived earlier, perhaps the outcome would have been different.
