a kind of militia or soldiery armed with bows and arrows. The word is formed of arcus, "a bow;" whence arcuarius, and even argus, and arguites, as they are also denominated in the corrupt state of the Latin tongue.

Archers were much employed in former times; but they are now laid aside, excepting in Turkey and some of the eastern countries; where there are companies of archers still subsisting in their armies, and with which they did terrible execution at the battle of Lepanto.—As an exercise, the practice of archery is still kept up in many places. See the article Archery.

In France, the officers who attend the lieutenants de police and provosts, to make captures, seizures, arrests, &c., are called archers; though their arms be only halberds or carbines. In this sense they say, the archers of the grand prevot de l'hotel; of the prevot des marchands; the city archers; the archers de guet, or of the watch, &c.—Small parties of archers, called also gens de marechaussee, are continually patrolling on the great roads, to secure them against robbers.—The Archery carriages of Lyons, &c., are always escorted by a party of archers. To the diligence of these archers or marshal's men, it is partly owing, that persons now travel in all parts of France in the utmost security; there being fewer robberies on the highway in that whole kingdom in a year than about London in a week.