Sentence: The Roman republican army was not merely a machine. Its real strength lay in the natural élan of the tough yeoman infantry of Italy, the hard-nosed rustics who voted in the local assemblies of the towns and demes of Italy and were every bit as ferocious as the more threatening-looking and larger Europeans to the north.
Page: 118
Word: élan
Definition:
- spirited self-assurance; verve; dash; enthusiasm
Tags: Carnage and Culture, Victor Davis Hanson
