guerilla
pronunciation
How to pronounce guerilla in British English:
UK [gə'rɪlə]
How to pronounce guerilla in American English:
US [gə'rɪlə]
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- Noun:
- a member of an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment
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- Adjective:
- used of independent armed resistance forces
Word Origin
- guerilla
- guerilla: [19] Etymologically, a guerilla is a ‘little war’. English acquired the word during the Peninsular War (1808–14) from Spanish guerrilla, which is a diminutive form of guerra ‘war’ (a word ultimately of Germanic origin, related to English war). In Spanish it still means ‘skirmish’, and until well into the 19th century it was used in English for a ‘war characterized by irregular skirmishing’ (the famous Times war correspondent William Russell, for instance, reported on 18 March 1862 that ‘Arkansas is now the theatre of a large guerilla’).The first recorded use of the word in its present-day sense is by the Duke of Wellington, the British military commander in Spain, in a despatch of 1809: ‘I have recommended to the Junta to set the Guerillas to work towards Madrid’.=> war
- guerilla (n.)
- common misspelling (now perhaps established as a variant) of guerrilla (q.v.); compare French guérilla.
Example
- 1. The occupy movement is planning a new phase of ' guerilla ' tactics next year .
- 2. Although gardening is not really allowed on public property , there are signs the authorities may be in tune with guerilla gardeners .
- 3. As I wrote back in 2008 , after noting that the first rambo picture " asks the audience to cheer for a guerilla hero , "
- 4. Pakistani army officers say their mission is to kill all of them , dismissing suggestions they their soldiers are being sucked into an unending guerilla war in the swat region .
- 5. The insurgents have made increasing use of improvised explosive devices ( ieds ) and guerilla tactics , which threaten soldiers , civilians and any attempt to restore normal life .