Minuteman

/ˈmɪnətˌmæn/

Other forms: Minutemen

During the American Revolution, a Minuteman was a citizen volunteer who was always prepared to take up arms and fight.

Colonists who formed independent militias that specifically trained for fast deployment were called Minutemen, after the idea that they were prepared to go into battle at a minute's notice. While every male between 16 and 60 was obligated to join a local militia, Minutemen (all of whom were under the age of 30) were the first to take up arms and fight. The U.S. National Guard, founded in 1916, was partly modeled on the Minutemen.

Definitions of Minuteman

1. noun

   an American militiaman prior to and during the American Revolution
   type of:

   militiaman

   a member of the militia; serves only during emergencies
2. noun

   a strategic weapon system using a guided missile of intercontinental range; missiles are equipped with nuclear warheads and dispersed in hardened silos
   type of:

   ICBM, intercontinental ballistic missile

   a ballistic missile that is capable of traveling from one continent to another