Plural of bombardier; soldiers who specialize in operating artillery, cannons, or dropping bombs from aircraft.
From the French-derived singular 'bombardier', with the regular English plural '-s'. The role evolved from medieval cannon operators to modern air force personnel.
A bombardier in WWII needed a nickname for their role—'bombardier' was perfect because they were dropping the modern equivalent of what medieval soldiers called 'bombarde' shots!
Historically a military rank held exclusively by men. The term '-ier' masculine form was standard in French military nomenclature, creating gendered occupational language.
Use 'bombardier' (singular) or 'bombardiers' (plural) for all genders, or modernize to 'ordnance operator' or 'artillery specialist' when writing inclusively.
["ordnance specialist","artillery operator","bombing operator"]
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