A veteran (from Latin "vetus", meaning "old") is a person who has a long career (and is usually adept and esteemed) in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who has served and is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that has served directly in combat in a war is further defined as a war veteran (although not all military conflicts, or areas in which armed combat took place, are necessarily referred to as "wars").