Gurkha
adj, noun
adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A member of the dominant ethnic group in Nepal, with a Himalayan diaspora.
- 2 a member of Hindu people descended from brahmins and Rajputs who live in Nepal wordnet
- 3 A member of this people recruited to serve in their own elite units in the British and Indian armies.
- 4 a member of the Nepalese force that has been part of the British army for 200 years; known for fierceness in combat wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Referring or belonging to the Gurkha people.
"The Gurkha royal house of Shah united all Nepal under its rule"
- 2 Referring or belonging to Gurkha soldiers.
"In 2009, Gurkha veterans were awarded better terms in the UK"
Example
More examples"If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gurkha."
Etymology
From Nepali गोर्खा (gorkhā, “inhabitant of Gorkha”), from गोरखा (gorakhā)/गोर्खा (gorkhā, “Gorkha District”), from Sanskrit गोरक्ष (gorakṣa, “cowherd”) an epithet of the patron deity Gorakhnath, from गो (go, “cow”) + रक्ष् (rakṣ, “protect”).
Related phrases
More for "gurkha"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.