[ 'kəʊhɔ:t ]
■ noun
1》 [treated as sing. or plural ] an ancient Roman military unit, comprising six centuries, equal to one tenth of a legion.
2》 [treated as sing. or plural ] a group of people with a shared characteristic.
3》 a supporter or companion.
Origin
ME: from OFr. ~e , or from L. cohors , ~- 'yard, retinue'.
Usage
Cohort in the sense ‘a companion’, as in young Jack arrived with three of his ~s , is well established, but there are still some people who object to it on the grounds that the word should only be used for groups of people, never for individuals.