Dictionary entry

Myrmidon

Webster's Dictionary 1913

Myr″mi‐don (?), n. [L. Myrmidones, Gr. �, pl.] 1. One of a fierce tribe or troop who accompanied Achilles, their king, to the Trojan war.

2. A soldier or a subordinate civil officer who executes cruel orders of a superior without protest or pity; — sometimes applied to bailiffs, constables, etc. Thackeray.

With unabated ardor the vindictive man of law and his myrmidons pressed forward. W. H. Ainsworth.