sepoy

Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

Related to sepoy: Sepoy Mutiny, Sepoy Rebellion

se·poy

(sē′poi′)

1. An indigenous soldier serving in the army of a foreign conqueror, especially an Indian soldier serving under British command in India.

a. The lowest enlisted rank in the British Indian army and its successors, equivalent to private.

b. One holding this rank.

[From obsolete Portuguese sipae (modern Portuguese sepaio), from Urdu sipāhī, from Persian, cavalryman, from sipāh, army, from Middle Persian spāh, ultimately (via borrowing from another Middle Iranian language) from Old Iranian *spāda- (attested in Avestan spāda-), probably originally meaning "company, host" and akin to Old Church Slavonic spodŭ, group of people who sit together at a meal.]

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.

sepoy

(ˈsiːpɔɪ)

1. (Historical Terms) (formerly) an Indian soldier in the service of the British

2. (Military) (formerly) an Indian soldier in the service of the British

[C18: from Portuguese sipaio, from Urdu sipāhī, from Persian: horseman, from sipāh army]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

se•poy

(ˈsi pɔɪ)

n.

(in colonial India) an Indian soldier in British service.

[1710–20; variant of sipahi < Urdu < Persian sipāhī horseman, soldier]

Translations

sepoy

[ˈsiːpɔɪ] N → cipayo m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

sepoy

n → Sepoy m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

When the troubles broke out he would be friends both with the lion and the tiger,--with the Sepoy and with the Company's Raj.

A little further up the road Dawson himself was lying on his face, quite dead, with an empty revolver in his hand and four Sepoys lying across each other in front of him.

If our door were in the hands of the Sepoys the place must fall,and the women and children be treated as they were in Cawnpore.

View in context

Among the passengers was a number of officials and military officers of various grades, the latter being either attached to the regular British forces or commanding the Sepoy troops, and receiving high salaries ever since the central government has assumed the powers of the East India Company: for the sub-lieutenants get 280 pounds, brigadiers, 2,400 pounds, and generals of divisions, 4,000 pounds.

View in context

'Yea, and with most outrageously shameless ones,' said the wife, scowling at the Amritzar girl making eyes at the young sepoy.

'There was need,' said the young sepoy drily, and the travellers' laugh turned against the banker.

View in context

I see the sickening wall of weapons now; I see that advancing host as I saw it then, I see the hate in those cruel eyes; I remember how I drooped my head upon my breast, I feel again the sudden earthquake shock in my rear, administered by the very ram I was sacrificing myself to save; I hear once more the typhoon of laughter that burst from the assaulting column as I clove it from van to rear like a Sepoy shot from a Rodman gun.

View in context

The injured have been identified as Naik Idrees, Sepoy Mudassir and Sepoy Azhar.

Two soldiers martyred in NWA

RAWALPINDI -- Funeral prayer for eternal peace of Shaheed Sepoy Hasan Ali was offered today at Quetta Garrison, Pakistan Army's public affairs department said Saturday.

Funeral prayer offered

LAHORE -- Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has expressed his condolence on the death of legendary Pakistani sepoy Maqbool Hussain who had languished in Indian jails for 40 years.

CM condoles death of Sepoy Maqbool Hussain

Seven Pakistani peacekeepers honoured include Naik Qaiser Abbas, MINUSCA (Central African Republic), Sepoy Yasir Abbas UNAMID (Darfur), Sepoy Mohammad Ishtiaq Abbasi, MONUSCO (Democratic Republic of Congo), Havildar Zishan Ahmed, MONUSCO (Democratic Republic of Congo), Sepoy Hazrat Bilal, MINUSCA (Central African Republic), Naik Abdul Ghafoor, MINUSCA (Central African Republic) and Naik Atta Ur Rehman, MONUSCO (Democratic Republic of Congo), the ISPR statement added.

UN honours seven Pakistani peacekeepers who sacrificed lives in line of duty

The martyred FC personnel were identified as Naik Inayatullah, sepoy Mohsen Ali and sepoy Sifatullah.