yeomanry

From Middle English ȝemanry, yemandry, yema[n]ri, yemanrye, yomandrye, yomanry; equivalent to yeoman +‎ -ry.

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈjoʊmənɹi/

yeomanry (plural yeomanries)

1. (historical) A class of small freeholders who cultivated their own land.
   • 1834–1874, George Bancroft, History of the United States, from the Discovery of the American Continent, volume (please specify |volume=I to X), Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company [et al.], →OCLC:

     The enfranchised yeomanry began to feel an instinct for dominion.

2. A British volunteer cavalry force organized in 1761 for home defense and later incorporated into the Territorial Army.

• yeoman