vexillationn.
/ˌvɛksᵻˈleɪʃn/, U.S. /ˌvɛksəˈleɪʃən/ Roman History.
A company of veteran soldiers (see vexillary n. 1) or of soldiers grouped under one standard.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > unit of army > [noun] > company under one banner > veteran
vexillation1656
1656 T. Blount Glossographia Vexillation, a company of men of arms under one Standard.
1732 A. Bower Historia Litteraria 3 507 The quantity of Work perform'd by the Vexillations, appears to have nearly equalled that of the whole Legions.
1753 J. Warburton Vallum Romanum 110 Two cohorts might, perhaps, be employed by themselves before, or after the whole vexillation was engaged in the work.
1851 D. Wilson Archæol. & Prehistoric Ann. Scotl. iii. ii. 376 The vexillation of the Twentieth Legion dedicated three or four thousand paces of their..wall to the Emperor whose name it bore.
1876 W. F. Skene Celtic Scotl. I. i. ii. 78 The vallum..had been constructed by the second..and twentieth legions, or rather by their vexillations.
1923 Jrnl. Rom. Stud. 13 20/1 (note) The title of the vexillation of the II Augusta combines the legionary number with the name of the province from which it came.
1967 R. Sutcliff Outcast xvii. 220 The new Legate is up there to see off a vexillation of the Legion for service in Germany.
2001 P. Southern Rom. Empire Severus to Constantine iii. 90 Another vexillation assembled for a series of campaigns.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2017; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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