Myrmidon \Myr"mi*don\, n. [L. Myrmidones, Gr. Myrmido`nes, pl.]
1. One of a fierce tribe or troop who accompanied Achilles,
their king, to the Trojan war.
[1913 Webster]
2. A soldier or a subordinate civil officer who executes
cruel orders of a superior without protest or pity; --
sometimes applied to bailiffs, constables, etc.
--Thackeray.
[1913 Webster]
With unabated ardor the vindictive man of law and
his myrmidons pressed forward. --W. H.
Ainsworth.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
myrmidon
n 1: a follower who carries out orders without question
2: (Greek mythology) a member of the warriors who followed
Achilles on the expedition against Troy
[also: myrmidones (pl)]
WordNet (r) 2.0
47 Moby Thesaurus words for "myrmidon":
adherent, assistant, creature, dependent, disciple, dummy,
employee, feudatory, figurehead, flunky, follower, gillie,
girl Friday, goon, hanger-on, henchman, hired hand, hired man,
hireling, homager, inferior, jackal, lackey, liege, liege man, man,
man Friday, mercenary, minion, pensioner, peon, puppet, retainer,
right-hand man, satellite, serf, slave, stooge, subordinate,
sycophant, thug, underling, understrapper, vassal, votary, worker,
yeoman
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
MYRMIDON, n. A follower of Achilles -- particularly when he didn't
lead.
THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993)
myrmidones (pl)
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