spahi
/ˈspɑːhiː/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An Ottoman (Turkish empire) cavalryman, especially as recruited under a land-based system.
Example Sentences
- "2001, Orhan Pamuk, My Name Is Red, tr. Erdağ M Göknar I hear that the great Sadiki Bey illustrated a copy of Strange Creatures, commissioned by an Uzbek spahi cavalryman, for only forty gold pieces."
- "TARZAN’S first mission did not bid fair to be either exciting or vastly important. There was a certain lieutenant of spahis whom the government had reason to suspect of improper relations with a great European power."
Etymology
From French spahi, from Ottoman Turkish سپاهی (sipahi), from Classical Persian سِپَاهِی (sipāhī, “horseman, soldier”) (> sepoy), from سِپَاه (sipāh, “army”). Doublet of sepoy and sipahi.
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
- Root: spahi, سپاهی, سِپَاهِی