n. [ F. armée, fr. L. armata, fem. of armatus, p. p. of armare to arm. Cf. Armada. ] 1. A collection or body of men armed for war, esp. one organized in companies, battalions, regiments, brigades, and divisions, under proper officers. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A body of persons organized for the advancement of a cause; as, the Blue Ribbon Army. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A great number; a vast multitude; a host. [ 1913 Webster ]

An army of good words. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Standing army, a permanent army of professional soldiers, as distinguished from militia or volunteers. [ 1913 Webster ]

. The system by which a country raises, classifies, arranges, and equips its armed land forces. The usual divisions are: (1) A regular or active army, in which soldiers serve continuously with the colors and live in barracks or cantonments when not in the field; (2) the reserves of this army, in which the soldiers, while remaining constantly subject to a call to the colors, live at their homes, being summoned more or less frequently to report for instruction, drill, or maneuvers; and (3) one or more classes of soldiers organized largely for territorial defense, living at home and having only occasional periods of drill and instraction, who are variously called home reserves (as in the table below), second, third, etc., line of defense (the regular army and its reserves ordinarily constituting the first line of defense), territorial forces, or the like. In countries where conscription prevails a soldier is supposed to serve a given number of years. He is usually enrolled first in the regular army, then passes to its reserve, then into the home reserves, to serve until he reaches the age limit. It for any reason he is not enrolled in the regular army, he may begin his service in the army reserves or even the home reserves, but then serves the full number of years or up to the age limit. In equipment the organization of the army is into the three great arms of infantry, cavalry, and artillery, together with more or less numerous other branches, such as engineers, medical corps, etc., besides the staff organizations such as those of the pay and subsistence departments. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

[ 1913 Webster ]

(Zool.) (a) A lepidopterous insect, which in the larval state often travels in great multitudes from field to field, destroying grass, grain, and other crops. The common army worm of the northern United States is the noctuid moth (Pseudaletia unipuncta, formerly Leucania unipuncta. The name is often applied to other related species, as the cotton worm. (b) The larva of a small two-winged fly (Sciara), which marches in large companies, in regular order. See Cotton worm, under Cotton.
Syn. -- army worm [ 1913 Webster ]

2. the larva of the fungus gnat; -- they march in large companies in regular order. [ WordNet 1.5 ]