take on strength en · VERB
Etymology
From take on (“enlist”) + strength (“armed forces”).
Meanings
-
(Commonwealth, ambitransitive, historical) To commission a soldier, animal or vehicle into the service of the armed forces.
To assist him in the task of organizing his unit, Lieutenant-Colonel O'Driscoll took on strength a nucleus of officers and N.C.O.'s who had served in the Newfoundland Militia or the Royal Artillery during the Second World War.
1964, G. W. L. Nicholson, The Fighting Newfoundlander, 2006 edition, page 521:Taken on strength, 7th Light Horse, 6th April 1915.
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see take on, strength.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| takes on strength | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| took on strength | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| taken on strength | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| taking on strength | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |