escort

Definition

A group of people or vehicles, generally armed, who go with a person or people of importance to safeguard them on a journey or mission.

Etymology

Borrowed from French escorte, itself borrowed from Italian scorta.

Example Sentences

• "The soldier who was pulling at the other end was clumsily unhorsed, and I myself was all but thrown by the unexpected jerk. This ludicrous incident at first provoked mirth among my escort, a mirth which their superstitious minds immediately turned into an ill omen."
• "Whole squadrons of cavalry escort had sometimes to be sent thundering against a powerful infantry outpost in order that the brief time between the charge and the inevitable retreat might be utilized in sounding a ford or determining the point of intersection of two roads."
• "There were not many passengers, and the journey was uneventful until the frontier was reached at Padang Besar, although an armed escort of Malay police accompanied the train from Alor Star."