Cossack

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person belonging to a group celebrated for its equestrian prowess and military tactics primarily found in Southern Russia and Ukraine
2. An individual from a culturally distinct community recognized for its historical ties to military exploits and horse culture in Eastern European territories
3. A member of a historically nomadic and semi-militarized community renowned for horseback riding and traditional martial skills in parts of Eastern Europe

Etymology: The most surprising thing about this word is that it once meant something close to "freebooter" or "adventurer" rather than a people. The Old Turkic root "qazǧaq" meant "profiteer," derived from a verb meaning "to acquire," and it traveled through the Kipchak languages of the steppe, where it likely named men who lived outside settled authority and made their living by raiding and trade. The name then passed into Ukrainian as "kozák" and into Polish as "Kozak," and from there into French as "cosaque." By around 1587, it appears in English in the writings of George Turberville, a poet and translator, who used it for the horsemen of the Eastern European borderlands. The word is a doublet of "Kazakh," the name of the Turkic people of Central Asia. Both descend from the same steppe root, so the two names for distinct peoples are, etymologically, one word that split as it spread through different languages.

Synonyms: Cossack, horseman, mounted warrior