conscript

1.

/kənˈskrɪpt/

enroll into service compulsorily

2.

/ˈkɑnˌskrɪpt/

someone who is drafted into military service

Other forms: conscripts; conscripted; conscripting

If you’re ever drafted into the army, then you could be called a conscript, someone who is forced to join the military.

At the root of conscript is the Latin word conscriptus, meaning “enroll.” Conscript does involve enrollment — but it’s a forced enrollment, used to describe someone who has been forced to join the military, such as someone who has been drafted. As a verb, conscript means "force to join," like a military that conscripts new soldiers. In contrast, those who choose to join are recruited; when they enter the service, they enlist.

Definitions of conscript (/kənˈskrɪpt/)

1. verb

   enroll into service compulsorily
   “The men were conscripted”

   type of:

   enlist

   join the military