paramilitary
/ˌpæɹəˈmɪlɪˌtɛɹi/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.20 in modern English
19
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
6
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion, but which do not represent the formal forces of a sovereign power.
adj
Relating to a paramilitary.
Example Sentences
- "From the start of its operations in Colombia, the company was on guard against the decadeslong civil strife in the country between left-wing guerrilla and right-wing paramilitary groups, witnesses have testified."
- "Cossack paramilitaries operate in Ukraine and southern Russia. […] Before he entered eastern Ukraine, Girkin led paramilitary groups in Crimea and negotiated with Ukrainian military officers in attempts to induce them to defect to Russia."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- Proto-Hellenic *pərai Ancient Greek πᾰρᾰ́ (părắ) Ancient Greek πᾰρᾰ- (pără-)der. English para- English military English paramilitary From para- + military.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌpæɹəˈmɪlɪˌtɛɹi/
- British English: /ˌpæɹəˈmɪlɪˌtɹi/
Usage
Inflected Forms
paramilitaries (plural)
para-military (alternative)