"Guerrilla"

 

guerrilla (n.)

"fighter in an irregular, independent armed force," 1809, from Sp. guerrilla "body of skirmishers, skirmishing warfare," lit. "little war," dim. of guerra "war," from a Germanic source (cf. O.H.G. werra "strife, conflict, war;" see war). Figurative use by 1861. As an adjective from 1811. Acquired by English during the Peninsular War (1808-1814); purists failed in their attempt to keep this word restricted to "irregular warfare" and prevent it taking on the sense properly belonging to guerrillero "guerrilla fighter."

Pathet Lao

communist guerrilla movement and political party in Laos, 1954, from Laotian Thai, lit. "Land of the Lao."

terr

Rhodesian slang abbreviation of terrorist, 1976, used in reference to guerrilla fighting against white minority government.

jayhawker

Amer.Eng., 1858, originally "freebooter, guerrilla, Kansas irregular" (especially one who came from the North). Hence back-formed verb jayhawk "harass" (1866).

guerilla (n.)

variant of guerrilla (q.v.); cf. Fr. guérilla.

chetnik

1909, "member of a Balkan guerrilla force," from Serb. četnik, from četa "band, troop."

gung ho

also gung-ho, gungho, 1942, slang motto of Carlson's Raiders, (2nd Marine Raider Battalion, under Lt. Col. Evans Carlson, 1896-1947), U.S. guerrilla unit operating in the Pacific in World War II, from Chinese kung ho "work together, cooperate." Widely adopted in Amer.Eng. c.1959.

Borrowing an idea from China, Carlson frequently has what he calls 'kung-hou' meetings .... Problems are threshed out and orders explained. ["New York Times Magazine," Nov. 8, 1942]