cossack

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see also: Cossack

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Noun

cossack (plural cossacks)

1. Alternative case form of Cossack

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Cossack

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Etymology

From Middle French cosaque, from zlw-mpl Kozak, from zle-ouk коза́къ, from qwm (whence Armeno-Kipchak խազախ), from otk 𐰴𐰔𐰍𐰸, from 𐰴𐰔𐰍𐰣𐰢𐰴, from 𐰴𐰔𐰢𐰴, from trk-pro *kaŕ-.

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˈkɒsˌæk/
• (America) IPA: /ˈkɑsˌæk/, /ˈkɔsˌæk/

Noun

cossack (plural cossacks)

1. A member or descendant of an originally (semi-)nomadic population of Eastern Europe and the adjacent parts of Asia, formed in part of runaways from neighbouring countries, that eventually settled in parts of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Russian tsarist Empire and constituted a military caste, particularly in areas now comprising southern Russia and Ukraine.
2. A member of a military unit (typically cavalry, originally recruited exclusively from the above).
3. (obsolete) A Ukrainian.
4. (derogatory) A mercenary; a regular or irregular soldier employed to persecute or oppress disfavoured groups, or in massacres of such groups, such as in anti-Jewish pogroms; a police officer or private security guard, particularly one used in strike-breaking; a violent thug.

• see: Pinkerton

Related terms

• gussuk
• Kazakh
• Kazakhstan

Translations

• French: Cosaque
• German: Kosak
• Italian: cosacco
• Portuguese: cossaco
• Russian: каза́к
• Spanish: cosaco

Translations

• French: cosaque
• German: Kosak
• Portuguese: cossaco

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