fedayee

[fe-dah-yee]

noun, plural fe·da·yeen

[fe-dah-yeen] /fɛ dɑˈyin/.

a member of an Arab commando group operating especially against Israel.

Origin of fedayee

1950–55; < dialectal Arabic fidāʾī (plural fidāʾīyīn) one who sacrifices himself (especially for his country)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for fedayeen

Contemporary Examples of fedayeen

“We were in contact with the fedayeen until their final minutes,” he says, using the term that refers to suicide bombers.
Exclusive: Taliban Boast About Kabul Hotel Attack
Sami Yousafzai, Ron Moreau
June 29, 2011

British Dictionary definitions for fedayeen

fedayee

noun plural -yeen (-jiːn)

(sometimes capital) (in Arab states) a commando, esp one fighting against Israel

Word Origin for fedayee

from Arabic fidā'i one who risks his life in a cause, from fidā' redemption

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

Word Origin and History for fedayeen

partisans or irregulars in the Middle East, from Arabic plural of fedai "devotee, zealot, one who risks life for a cause," from Persian fidai.