Marines (from the English adjective "marine", meaning "of the sea ", from Latin language mare, meaning sea, via French adjective marin(e), "of the sea") are, in principle, seaborne land soldiers that are part of a navy. However in some countries Marines are no longer part of the navy (notably the United States Marine Corps which has become an independent armed force falling only administratively under the navy).
The exact term "marine" does not exist in many other languages. Typically, foreign equivalents are called "naval infantry" (e.g. as in Spain, Germany, and Russia). In French-speaking countries, two terms exist which could be translated as "marine": troupes de marine and fusiliers-marins; similar pseudo-translations exist elsewhere, e.g. Fuzileiros Navais in Portuguese. The word marine means Navy in many European languages such as Spanish, French, German, Dutch and Norwegian.
Historically, Marines served on board warships, assisted the crew in battles, boarded enemy ships, conducted small coastal raids, protected the officers from mutiny by the crew, protected ports and naval bases, and served as a landing force.
As a result of their mixed land and naval role, Marine forces are mainly specialised in amphibious assaults using infantry, armour, aircraft, and watercraft.
