zouave
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Zouave¹
- /zuːˈɑːv/ UK
- /zwɑːv/ UK
- /zuˈɑv/ US
- /zwɑv/ US
Rhymes with -ɑːv
Where it comes from
From French, from Arabic زَوَاوِيّ (zawāwiyy), used to refer to a Kabyle soldier, especially of the Igawawen people.
noun Zouaves
- One of a body of soldiers in the French service, originally Kabyle, but now composed of Frenchmen who wear the Kabyle dress.
- One of a body of soldiers who adopt the dress and drill of the Zouaves in French service, as was done by a number of volunteer regiments in the army of the United States in the Civil War (1861–65).
zouave²
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Arabic زَوَاوِيّ (zawāwiyy).
noun zouaves
- a French soldier in the Union army of the Unites States civil war, or a Union soldier in a French soldier's uniform. The French soldiers, for whom this uniform was patterned and made, were, as a rule, much smaller in stature than the American soldier, and hence the imported zouave uniforms distributed, in many cases, were entirely too short for the many giants in stature in the One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Regiment
Translations
Talk about this word "zouave." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/zouave. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. zouave. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/zouave "zouave." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/zouave.Cite this
@misc{zouave_2026,
title = {zouave},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/zouave},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
