lansquenet
/ˌlænskəˈnɛt/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.15 in modern English
19
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Any of a class of German mercenaries of the 15th and 16th centuries, most of whom were pikemen and foot soldiers.
Countable
Example Sentences
- "[…] arising out of this festival there was established an individual lansquenet tradition, in speech and outward appearance, and the bare, sunburnt necks of the vagabond soldiers, their baggy garments hanging in shreds, and their short swords, could be seen all over the country for long afterwards."
- "Ruthless killing, wanton strife / Add up to a lanzknecht’s life."
- "I have never really been outdoorsy enough to make a mercenary landsknecht, although their immense two-handed swords, flowing moustaches and puffed-silk slashed sleeves take some beating."
- "“I'm through with all pawn-games,” I laughed. “Come, let us have a game of lansquenet. Either I will take a farewell fall out of you or you will have your sevenfold revenge”."
- "One could see part of the dimly lit court where under an enclosed poplar two soldiers on a stone bench were playing lansquenet."
- "And so it was over the game of lansquenet that I scored my first triumph."
Etymology
Borrowed from French lansquenet, from German Landsknecht, from Lands (“of the land”) + Knecht (“servant”). Doublet of Landsknecht.
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
- Root: lansquenet, Landsknecht
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌlænskəˈnɛt/
- British English: /ˈlɑːnskəˌnɛt/
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Military.