Zouave Hear it!

Zouave definition

Zou·ave (zo̵̅o̅ äv′, zwäv)

noun

  1. a member of a former infantry unit in the French army, originally Algerians, noted for the precision of its close-order drill and characterized by a colorful uniform
  2. a member of any military group having a similar uniform; specif., a member of any of various volunteer regiments in the American Civil War

Etymology: Fr < Ar Zwāwa < Berber Igawawaen, name of a Kabyle tribe of the Jurjura Mountains, Algeria, from whom the Zouaves were originally recruited

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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