Definition of "yeomanry"

yeomanry

/ˈjoʊmənɹi/

noun
plural yeomanries
1. (historical) A class of small freeholders who cultivated their own land.
  Quotations
  The enfranchised yeomanry began to feel an instinct for dominion.
  1834–1874, George Bancroft, History of the United States, from the Discovery of the American Continent
2. A British volunteer cavalry force organized in 1761 for home defense and later incorporated into the Territorial Army.