Not a civil description of soldiers (8)

I believe the answer is:

military

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'of soldiers' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.

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(Other definitions for military that I've seen before include "Relating to armed forces" , "Relating to soldiers or war" , "Of soldiers and warfare" , "in the field" , "Relating to the army" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.

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