A small organized group of people working together for a specific purpose, often military or sports-related. Can also refer informally to a close-knit group of friends.
From French 'escouade,' ultimately from Italian 'squadra' meaning 'square' - referring to the square formation of soldiers. The root comes from Latin 'ex-' (out) and 'quadra' (square). The military sense dates to the 17th century, with casual friendship usage emerging in the 20th century.
The word 'squad' reveals how military precision shapes everyday language - what started as a geometric formation of soldiers now describes everything from sports teams to friend groups on social media. The '#SquadGoals' phenomenon shows how military organization metaphors have colonized our social relationships.
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