dragoon Hear it!

dragoon definition

dra·goon (drə go̵̅o̅n′)

noun

  1. Historical
    1. a mounted soldier armed with a short musket (called a dragon), capable of fighting on horseback or on foot
    2. a heavily armed cavalryman
  2. a member of a Canadian armored cavalry regiment

Etymology: Fr dragon (see dragon): ? so called from their fire-breathing weapons

transitive verb

  1. Historical to harass or persecute by dragoons
  2. to force (someone) into doing something; coerce

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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