British soldiers, especially those who fought in the American Revolution, named after the bright red color of their military uniforms.
Simple compound: 'red' plus 'coat,' describing the uniform color. The term became iconic during the 1700s when British soldiers wore these distinctive jackets.
British redcoats were actually tactical geniuses at one point—the bright red made them visible to commanding officers in the smoke of musket battles—but by the Revolutionary War era it was outdated and made them easy targets, showing how military fashion can outlast its purpose.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.