Vet″er‐an (vĕt″ẽr‐an), n. [L. veteranus (sc. miles): cf. F. vétéran.] One who has been long exercised in any service or art, particularly in war; one who has had much experience, or has grown old or decrepit in service.
Ensigns that pierced the foe's remotest lines,
The hardy veteran with tears resigns. Addison.
☞ In the United States, during the civil war, soldiers who had served through one term of enlistment and had reënlisted were specifically designated veterans.