mi ‧ li ‧ tia /məˈlɪʃə, mɪˈlɪʃə/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ militancy , ↑ militant , the military, ↑ militia , ↑ militarism , ↑ militarist ; adjective : ↑ military , ↑ militant , ↑ militaristic , ↑ militarized ; adverb : ↑ militantly , ↑ militarily ]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: 'military service' , from miles ; ⇨ ↑ military 1 ]
a group of people trained as soldiers, who are not part of the permanent army:
He joined the local militia as soon as he was 16.
a militia leader
a left-wing militia group