From Italian 'infante' (youth), from Latin 'infans' (child) — young noblemen too junior for cavalry fought on foot.
Soldiers who fight on foot; the branch of an army consisting of foot soldiers.
From French 'infanterie,' from Italian 'infanteria,' from 'infante' (foot soldier, youth, servant), from Latin 'infāns, infantis' (one who does not speak, a child), from 'in-' (not) + 'fāns,' present participle of 'fārī' (to speak). The semantic path: child → young servant → young inexperienced soldier → foot soldier. In medieval Italian, 'infante' meant a youth of noble birth who had not yet been knighted — too young to be a knight on horseback, they fought on foot. Key roots: infāns (Latin: "non-speaking
Infantry soldiers are etymologically 'infants' — children who cannot speak. In medieval Italy, young noblemen too junior to earn a horse fought on foot and were called 'infanti.' The word 'infant' and the word for the most fundamental branch of warfare share the same root: Latin for 'speechless child.' The Spanish title 'Infanta' (princess) is also the same word.