Private (rank)

A private is a soldier, usually with the lowest rank in many armies. Soldiers with the rank of private may be conscripts or they may be professional (career) soldiers.

The term derives from the medieval term "private soldiers" (a term still used in the British Army), contrasting mercenary soldiers and denoting individuals who were either exclusively hired, conscripted, or mustered into service by a feudal nobleman commanding a battle group of an army.[1][better source needed]

  1. ^ Harper, Douglas. "private (n.)". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 20 March 2021.