Zouave

[ zoo-ahv, zwahv ]

/ zuˈɑv, zwɑv /

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noun

(sometimes lowercase) one of a former body of infantry in the French army, composed originally of Algerians, distinguished for their dash, hardiness, and picturesque uniform.

a member of any body of soldiers adopting a similar dress and drill, especially a soldier serving in any of certain volunteer regiments in the American Civil War.

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Origin of Zouave

1820–30; <French <Arabic zawāwah, probably <Berber igowawen, the name of a Berber group

Words nearby Zouave

Zorrilla y Moral, zorse, Zoser, Zosimus, zoster, Zouave, Zoug, zouk, zounds, Zovirax, zowie

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Zouave in a sentence

Louis Napoleon, struggling at Sedan, could not have heard the zouave battle-cry with more complete satisfaction than they do now.
Miss Caprice|St. George Rathborne
The Zouave was getting up steam next day as the dejected Tartarin had just stepped into the captain's long-boat, when, lo!
The World's Greatest Books, Vol III|Arthur Mee and J.A. Hammerton, Eds.
One day the captain of the Zouave came across him in the town, and showed him a note about himself in a Tarascon newspaper.
The World's Greatest Books, Vol III|Arthur Mee and J.A. Hammerton, Eds.
As the boat pulled off to the Zouave, the camel jumped into the water and swam after it, and was taken aboard.
The World's Greatest Books, Vol III|Arthur Mee and J.A. Hammerton, Eds.

A zouave was standing near—one of those fugitive soldiers who were in no haste to rejoin their commands.
The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to Prose, Vol. VIII (of X) - Continental Europe II.|Various

British Dictionary definitions for Zouave

Zouave

/ (zuːˈɑːv, zwɑːv) /

noun

(formerly) a member of a body of French infantry composed of Algerian recruits noted for their dash, hardiness, and colourful uniforms

a member of any body of soldiers wearing a similar uniform or otherwise modelled on the French Zouaves, esp a volunteer in such a unit of the Union Army in the American Civil War

Word Origin for Zouave

C19: from French, from Zwāwa, tribal name in Algeria

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