What's up with the sergeants?

[L'Impresario]

Well, "column" as a military term existed in the Roman ages as well. It seems that the medieval people weren't very innovative regarding terms. I remember browsing through dictionaries of medieval military terminology and being quite disappointed at the obvious lack of non-classical derived words heh - eitherway, the military is usually a conversative institution.

On "myriad", a Greek word, I think it just remained an arithmetical designation, at times a very general one (like in "countless") or specific (10.000). In modern Greek it retains both meanings.


And to stay closer to the topic at hand (although I believe it's a simple terminology subject as well),
I have to say that with the military system presented in the game, it really doesn't matter how they 're called, as their role is obviously to provide a middle layer of units, between the more "irregular" and elite ones. By having their numbers completely independent from that of the knights and nobles, any direct connection with the actual medieval army compositions is severed.

And for the etymology part of the initial question, here's a useful link.

Content duplicated below.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

c.1200, "servant," from O.Fr. sergent, from M.L. servientum (nom. serviens) "servant, vassal, soldier" (in L.L. "public official"), from L. servientem "serving," prp. of servire "to serve" (see serve); cognate with Sp. sirviente, It. servente. Specific sense of "military servant" is attested from c.1290; that of "officer whose duty is to enforce judgments of a tribunal or legislative body" is from c.1300 (sergeant at arms is attested from 1377). Meaning "non-commissioned military officer" first recorded 1548. Originally a much more important rank than presently. As a police rank, in Great Britain from 1839. Colloquial shortening sarge is attested from 1867. M.E. alternate spelling serjeant (from O.Fr.) was retained in Britain in special use as title of a superior order of barristers (1297, from legal L. serviens ad legem, "one who serves (the king) in matters of law"), abolished 1880, from which Common Law judges were chosen; also used of certain other officers of the royal household. sergeant-major is from 1573.