paramilitary

See also: para-military

English

Alternative forms

• para-military

Etymology

From para- +‎ military.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌpæɹəˈmɪlɪˌtɹi/
• (US, without the Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA^(key): /ˌpæɹəˈmɪlɪˌtɛɹi/
• (US, Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA^(key): /ˌpɛɹəˈmɪlɪˌtɛɹi/

  • Audio (US, Mary–marry–merry merger):

    (file)

• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˌpaɾəˈmɪlɪˌtɾe/, /-ˌtɾɪ/, /-ˌtɾi/
• (Wales) IPA^(key): /ˌpaɾəˈmɪlɪˌtɾi/

Noun

paramilitary (plural paramilitaries)

1. A group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion, but which do not represent the formal forces of a sovereign power.
   • 2007 July 13, Kyle Whitmire, “Suit in U.S. Over Murders in Colombia”, in The New York Times‎^[1], archived from the original on 26 January 2021:

     From the start of its operations in Colombia, the company was on guard against the decadeslong civil strife in the country between left-wing guerrilla and right-wing paramilitary groups, witnesses have testified.

   • 2014, “Little Green Men”: A Primer on Modern Russian Unconventional Warfare, Ukraine 2013–2014‎^[2], Fort Bragg, North Carolina: The United States Army Special Operations Command, pages 44-45:

     Cossack paramilitaries operate in Ukraine and southern Russia. […] Before he entered eastern Ukraine, Girkin led paramilitary groups in Crimea and negotiated with Ukrainian military officers in attempts to induce them to defect to Russia.

2. (colloquial) A member of a paramilitary group.

Translations

a group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion

• Albanian: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 凖軍事部隊 / 凖军事部队

• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• French: organisation paramilitaire f
• Galician: organización/grupo/exército paramilitar
• Hungarian: please add this translation if you can
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: bojówka (pl) f
• Portuguese: organização/força/exército paramilitar
• Slovak: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: organización/grupo/ejército paramilitar
• Ukrainian: please add this translation if you can

a member of a paramilitary group

• Catalan: paramilitar (ca) m or f
• French: paramilitaire (fr) m or f
• Galician: paramilitar m or f
• Manx: fo-hidoor m
• Portuguese: paramilitar (pt) m or f
• Romanian: paramilitar (ro) m or f
• Spanish: paramilitar (es) m or f
• Swedish: paramilitär (sv) c

Adjective

paramilitary (not comparable)

1. Relating to a paramilitary. [1935]

Translations

relating to a paramilitary

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: полувоенен (poluvoenen)
• Catalan: paramilitar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 准军事的

• Czech: polovojenský, paramilitantní
• Danish: paramilitær
• Dutch: paramilitair (nl)
• Finnish: puolisotilaallinen (fi)
• French: paramilitaire (fr)
• Galician: paramilitar m or f
• Greek: παραστρατιωτικός (el) (parastratiotikós)
• Italian: paramilitare (it)
• Manx: fo-hidooragh
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: paramilitær

  Nynorsk: paramilitær

• Occitan: paramilitar (oc)
• Polish: paramilitarny (pl)
• Portuguese: paramilitar (pt)
• Romanian: paramilitar (ro) m
• Russian: военизи́рованный (ru) (vojenizírovannyj), полувое́нный (ru) (poluvojénnyj)
• Spanish: paramilitar (es)
• Swedish: paramilitär (sv)

Derived terms

• antiparamilitary
• paramilitarily
• paramilitarism
• paramilitarist