Patrol
Patrol , intransitive verb
[French patrouiller, O. & Prov. French patrouiller to paddle, paw about, patrol, from patte a paw; compare Dutch poot paw, German pfote, and English pat, v.]
To go the rounds along a chain of sentinels; to traverse a police district or beat.
Patrol (pȧ*trōl") , transitive verb
To go the rounds of, as a sentry, guard, or policeman; as, to patrol a frontier; to patrol a beat.
Patrol , noun
[French patrouille, Old French patouille. See Patrol, v. i.]
1.
(a) (Military) A going of the rounds along the chain of sentinels and between the posts, by a guard, usually consisting of three or four men, to insure greater security from attacks on the outposts.
(b)
(Military) A movement, by a small body of troops beyond the line of outposts, to explore the country and gain intelligence of the enemy's whereabouts.
(c)
(Military) The guard or men who go the rounds for observation; a detachment whose duty it is to patrol.
2.
Any perambulation of a particular line or district to guard it; also, the men thus guarding; as, a customs patrol; a fire patrol.
In France there is an army of patrols to secure her fiscal regulations.
3.
See Boy Scout.