fedayeen


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fe·da·yee

 (fĕ-dä′yē′, -dä′ē′, -dă′-)
n. pl. fe·da·yeen (-yēn′, -ēn′)
A commando or guerrilla, especially an Arab commando operating in the Middle East.

[Arabic fidā'ī, one who sacrifices himself, from fidā', sacrifice, ransom, from fadā, to sacrifice, ransom; see pdy in Semitic roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.fedayeen - (plural) Arab guerrillas who operate mainly against Israel
plural, plural form - the form of a word that is used to denote more than one
paramilitary, paramilitary force, paramilitary organisation, paramilitary organization, paramilitary unit - a group of civilians organized in a military fashion (especially to operate in place of or to assist regular army troops)
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations

Fedayeen

plFreischärler pl
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
References in periodicals archive ?
The book's controversial text reads, "The fedayeen (independent fighters willing to sacrifice themselves) started to attack the British camps.
Hundreds of demonstrators from the Sadrist Movement gathered yesterday at Sadrain Square in Najaf to protest against the secretary general of the Dawa Party, Nouri al-Maliki's comments, which follow the Sadrists, who shut down the headquarters of political parties in a number of provinces describing them of being Baathists and Fedayeen Saddam.
"If an old sentry is challenged by highly trained and motivated fedayeen, he can come a cropper," a defence official said.
This next one's called, "Kung Fu Fedayeen." Fedayeen is Arabic for "those who sacrifice," and you can probably infer the rest of the title.
Rather they assembled in small groups known to Gazans as Fedayeen -- freedom fighters.
Ministers Apr 7 approved a draft amendment that would allow Baath party branch chiefs, or firqa-level members, to rejoin the civil service, and would provide for pension payments for many members of the Fedayeen Saddam, a paramilitary organization loyal to the executed leader.
He initially retaliated by ordering fedayeen attacks on Israel and later by negotiating a major arms deal with the Soviet Union to offset Israel's military preponderance.
A freedom fighter, Layth shares Tarek's impatience with camp life, and he leads him to the fedayeen encampment where young men and women train in preparation for incursions back into Palestine.
"Sweet Fedayeen: Radical 21st Century Poetics & The Secret Path
But the boldness of the 'fedayeen' -- freedom fighters -- now began to grow rapidly.
PNN On Palestinian Independence Day, Nablus Stadium had the honor of receiving the South African national team--the memorable Bafana Bafana of the 2010 World Cup--for a match against the Palestinian national team, the Fedayeen. The match ended a 1-1 draw.
Al-Nakhel news agency quoted informed political sources in Iraq as saying that Bahraini opposition leaders have informed Baghdad authorities that several members of the former Fedayeen Saddam (Devotees of Saddam) group and Ba'athists are cooperating with the Saudi forces in the clampdown on the people in Bahrain.