spahi

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] French spahi, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Ottoman Turkish سپاهی (sipahi), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Persian سپاهی (sepâhi, “horseman, soldier”) (> English sepoy), from سپاه (sepâh, “army”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspɑːhiː/

Noun

spahi (plural spahis)

1. (history) An Ottoman (Turkish empire) cavalryman, especially as recruited under a land-based system.
   • 2001, Orhan Pamuk, My Name Is Red, tr. Erdağ M Göknar

     I hear that the great Sadiki Bey illustrated a copy of Strange Creatures, commissioned by an Uzbek spahi cavalryman, for only forty gold pieces.

2. (history) A soldier in a mainly Arab-recruited cavalry (originally horse, later light armored) regiment in French colonial service in (former/ in name still) Ottoman North African provinces

Related terms

• sepoy

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked‌: "Ottoman cavalryman"

• Dutch: spahi m
• French: spahi (fr) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Macedonian: спахија m (spahija)

Anagrams

• Saiph, aphis, apish, pahis

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Dutch

Etymology

From French spahi, from Ottoman Turkish سپاهی (sipahi), from Persian سپاهی (sepâhi, “horseman, soldier”) (> English sepoy), from سپاه (sepâh, “army”).

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: spa‧hi

Noun

spahi m (plural spahi's, diminutive spahietje n)

1. A spahi

Related terms

• sepoy m

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French

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Turkish sipahi, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Persian سپاهی (sipāhī, “horseman, soldier”), from سپاه (sipāh, “army”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spa.i/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

spahi m (plural spahis)

1. A spahi

Related terms

• cipaye m

Further reading

• “spahi”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.