Webster's English Dictionary

Enter the word to look up:

platoon

pla.toon \pl*-'tu:n, pla-\ n [F peloton small detachment, lit., ball, fr. 
   pelote little ball -] more at PELLET 1: a subdivision of a company-size 
   military unit normally consisting of a h eadquarters and two or more squads 
   or sections 2: a group of persons sharing a common characteristic or 
   activity; speci f : a group of football players trained for either offense 
   or defense and sent into or withdrawn from the game as a body