cohort
/ˈkəʊhɔːt/noun
1
- treated as sing. or pl. an ancient Roman military unit, comprising six centuries, equal to one tenth of a legion（古罗马）步兵队（由600人组成, 规模相当于古罗马军团的1/10）。
2
- treated as sing. or pl. a group of people banded together or treated as a group一群（人）, 一批（人）：
a cohort of civil servants patiently drafting and redrafting legislation.
一批公务员耐心地拟定并改拟法律。
2.1
- a group of people with a common statistical characteristic从统计角度看属某种同一情况的一批人：
the 1940-1944 birth cohort of women.
1940-1944年出生的女性。
3
- derogatory, chiefly N. Amer. a supporter or companion〈贬, 主北美〉支持者; 同伴。
USAGE
The earliest sense of cohort is 'a unit of men within the Roman army'. In the mid 20th century a new sense developed in the US, meaning a companion or colleague', as in young Jack arrived with three of his cohorts. Although this use is well established (it accounts for the majority of the total citations for this word in the Oxford Reading Programme), there are still some people who object to it on the grounds that cohort should only be used for groups of people (as in its first sense), never for individuals.
词源
late Middle English: from Old French cohorte, or from Latin cohors, cohort-'yard, retinue'. Compare with COURT.