paramilitary
Other forms: paramilitaries
A group that's described as being paramilitary resembles an organized army. During the American Revolutionary War, the minutemen were a paramilitary group that fought in the earliest battles.
When civilians organize themselves (or are organized) into a group that appears to be military, or that assists actual military troops, that's a paramilitary organization. You can also call it, simply, a paramilitary. The early twentieth century word combines the prefix para-, "near" or "resembling," and military, from its Latin root militaris, "of soldiers or war."
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of or relating to a group of civilians organized to function like or to assist a military unit
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a group of civilians organized in a military fashion (especially to operate in place of or to assist regular army troops)synonyms: paramilitary force, paramilitary organisation, paramilitary organization, paramilitary unittypes:fedayeen(plural) Arab guerrillas who operate mainly against IsraelFedayeen Saddam, Saddam's Martyrsa feared paramilitary unit formed in 1995 by young soldiers to serve Saddam Hussein against domestic opponents
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Vocabulary lists containing paramilitary
If you're spoiling for a fight, learn these words from the Latin roots belli ("war") and milit ("soldier").
If you're spoiling for a fight, learn these words from the Latin roots belli ("war") and milit ("soldier").
If you're spoiling for a fight, learn these words from the Latin roots belli ("war") and milit ("soldier").