Basic Details
Word: Grenadier
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A soldier in certain army regiments; originally, a soldier trained to throw grenades.
Synonyms: soldier, infantryman
Word origin: Comes from French grenadier, a soldier who threw grenades; grenade itself comes from an old French word for a pomegranate.
How to Spell Grenadier
Syllables: gren - a - dier
Tricky part: There is one n after gre, an a in the middle, and the end is dier, said deer but never spelt deer.
Watch out for: grenadeer, grenedier, grenadiar, grennadier
Memory tip: A grenadier threw grenades: write grenade, drop the e and add ier, as in cavalier.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The grenadiers marched past in tall bearskin caps.
Example 2: My great-grandfather served as a grenadier in the army.
Example 3: Grenadiers were once picked for their height and strength, since grenades had to be thrown far.
Fun Fact
The Grenadiers is one of the oldest infantry regiments of the Indian Army; Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav of the regiment received the Param Vir Chakra for his bravery in the 1999 Kargil war.
Practise the CREST Way
Back to the Roots
Choose the option that completes the sentence correctly:
Grenadier comes from ___ and it means ___. 1. German 2. Latin 3. Greek 4. French 5. a ship's captain 6. a soldier who threw grenades 7. a royal cook 8. a mountain guide
a) 4/6
b) 1/5
c) 2/8
d) 3/7
Show answer
a) 4/6. The ier ending is a French one, and the word was first used for troops carrying grenades.
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
grena____
a) dear
b) dier
c) diar
d) deer
Show answer
b) dier. The end sounds like deer, but it is spelt dier, the same four letters that end soldier.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
123456789 RIGEDANER
a) 536849172
b) 314765289
c) 367541892
d) 931842756
Show answer
b) 314765289. Find g first; then r, e, n, a, d, i, e, r follow.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A grenadier is a kind of ____.
a) painter
b) soldier
c) sailor
d) merchant
Show answer
b) soldier
2. Where would you expect to find grenadiers?
a) in an army regiment
b) in a school choir
c) in a cricket team
d) in a hospital ward
Show answer
a) in an army regiment
