bashi-bazouk

[ bash-ee-buh-zook ]

/ ˌbæʃ i bəˈzuk /

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noun

(formerly) one of a class of irregular mounted troops in the Turkish military service.

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Origin of bashi-bazouk

First recorded in 1850–55, bashi-bazouk is from the Turkish word başι-bozuk civilian, irregular, originally, leaderless, not attached (to a regular military unit), literally, (one) whose head (is) broken

Words nearby bashi-bazouk

base unit, bash, Bashan, bashaw, bashful, bashi-bazouk, bashing, Bashkir, Bashkir Autonomous Republic, Bashkir Republic, Bashkirtseff

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bashi-bazouk in a sentence

The Hajji had refused to watch the horses when his turn came, and the caravan bashi had therefore thrashed him.
Trans-Himalaya, Vol. 2 (of 2)|Sven Hedin
The caravan bashi was to receive 50 rupees a month and be selected with very great care.
Trans-Himalaya, Vol. 2 (of 2)|Sven Hedin
Even a bashi-bazouk must have quailed before that amazing declaration and that patient resignation to fate.
The Skipper and the Skipped|Holman Day
The army was a curious collection of regular troops and volunteer soldiers, the latter what would be called 'Bashi-Bazouks.'
Sketches From My Life|Hobart Pasha

His little army of Bashi-Bazouks had annihilated more than one Siberian battalion.
Looking Seaward Again|Walter Runciman

British Dictionary definitions for bashi-bazouk

bashibazouk

/ (ˌbæʃɪbəˈzuːk) /

noun

(in the 19th century) one of a group of irregular Turkish soldiers notorious for their brutality

Word Origin for bashibazouk

C19: from Turkish başibozuk irregular soldier, from bas head + bozuk corrupt

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012