BharatNotes Legion
noun; also adjective (predicative, as in "their problems are legion")Usage in a UPSC answer
The grievances of the informal-sector workforce are legion, and any credible labour-welfare reform must reckon with this vast, unorganised multitude rather than legislate for the formal economy alone.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
legionary (n/adj), legionnaire (n), legion (adj predicative), legioned (adj)
Root
Latin legiō = body of soldiers, from legere = to choose, collect, levy; attested in English c. 1200
Etymology
From Middle English legioun, from Old French legion, from Latin legiō ("a body of soldiers"), from legere ("to choose, to collect, to levy"); first attested in English c. 1200.
Memory Hook
A Roman LEGION packed thousands of soldiers into one unit, so a "legion" of anything means a huge, countless crowd; share the root *leg- "to gather" with "collect" and "select."
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
A large military formation, and in this context the Indian Legion raised in Germany from Indian prisoners of war captured in North Africa. It is worth studying precisely because it achieved so little: it was never deployed against India, was reassigned to garrison duty in occupied Europe, and ended by surrendering to the Allies. Its value is comparative. The Indian National Army in South-East Asia, which Bose reorganised from 1943, had a large expatriate Indian population to recruit from, a plausible land route to India through Burma, and a political authority behind it in the Provisional Government, none of which the Legion ever possessed. That contrast explains why the INA entered nationalist memory and the Legion did not. The INA also raised the Rani of Jhansi Regiment under Captain Lakshmi Swaminathan, later Lakshmi Sahgal, among the very few all-women combat formations of the Second World War on any side.
Don’t Confuse It With
The Indian Legion was raised in Germany from prisoners of war, while the Indian National Army was formed in South-East Asia with Japanese support and drew on both prisoners and the expatriate Indian population, so the two were separate forces in different theatres. The Rani of Jhansi Regiment was the INA's women's unit. Azad Hind Fauj is the Indian name for the INA. In ordinary English legion also means simply a great number, the sense used in the sentence above.
Hindi Meaning
सेना (senā) or पलटन; आजाद हिंद फौज for the INA.
Common Questions
- What was the Indian Legion?
- A force raised in Germany from Indian prisoners of war taken in North Africa, which was never deployed against India and ended the war on garrison duty in Europe.
- What was the Rani of Jhansi Regiment?
- The women's combat regiment of the Indian National Army, raised in 1943 under Captain Lakshmi Swaminathan, one of very few all-women fighting units of the Second World War.
Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation
