askari

[ as-kuh-ree ]

noun

, plural as·ka·ris, as·ka·ri.

1. an African police officer or soldier, especially one serving a colonial administration.

askari

/ asˈkaːri /

noun

1. (in East Africa) a soldier or policeman

Word History and Origins

Origin of askari¹

First recorded in 1805–10; from Swahili, from Arabic ʿaskarī “soldier,” equivalent to ʿaskar “army” (from Persian lashkar) + -ī a suffix indicating relationship or origin); lascar

Word History and Origins

Origin of askari¹

C19: from Arabic: soldier

Example Sentences

It has been six months since unknown insurgents destroyed the Al-Askari mosque in Samarra.

From The Daily Beast

Graceful as a deer was Nazoro, and a good Askari lost in a better operating-room boy.

From Project Gutenberg

Loads were piled neatly, covered with a tarpaulin, and the pile guarded by an askari.

From Project Gutenberg

He thought of going out to join the askari, or native guard, who was keeping watch some thirty feet away.

From Project Gutenberg

It seemed absolutely endless, and once or twice I feared that two of the Askari would have died of the wet, cold, and exposure.

From Project Gutenberg

Fortunately there were at Lamu at this time a party of Wakwafi Askari (soldiers).

From Project Gutenberg