Veteran Means Old, and Has Nothing to Do With Vets
A veteran has long experience, especially military service. The similar word for an animal doctor comes from a different Latin root.
A veteran is someone with long experience, and particularly someone who has served in the armed forces. The Latin *vetus* means old. The resemblance to *veterinary* is coincidental: that word comes from *veterinae*, working animals, so the vet who treats your dog is not linguistically a veteran.
- A former member of the armed forces. *A war veteran.*
- Someone with long experience. *A veteran broadcaster.*
- Veteran car — in Britain, one built before 1905. *A veteran car rally.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | veteran | A Falklands veteran. |
| Plural | veterans | Veterans' charities. |
| Adjective | veteran | A veteran campaigner. |
| Related | veterinary | A veterinary surgeon. |
| Related | inveterate | An inveterate gambler. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Veterans marched at the memorial.Military service.
- She is a veteran of six campaigns.Veteran of.
- An inveterate letter writer.Habitual, from the same root meaning old.
Words from *vetus*
- Veteran — one grown old in service
- Inveterate — long established, of habits
- Veterinary — from a different root about working animals
- Vintage — from *vinum*, wine, and unrelated
- Antique — from *ante*, before
From Latin *veteranus*, old or experienced, from *vetus*, old. Roman veterans were soldiers who had completed their service and often received land.
Are veteran and veterinary related?
No. Veteran comes from the Latin for old; veterinary from a word for beasts of burden. The similarity is coincidental.
What is a veteran car in Britain?
One built before 1905. Cars from 1919 to 1930 are vintage, and the categories are distinct in motoring circles.