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Partisan
Definitions
- 1 Serving as commander or member of a body of detached light troops.
"partisan officer, partisan corps"
- 2 Adherent to a party or faction; especially, having the character of blind, passionate, or unreasonable adherence to a party.
"They were blinded by partisan zeal."
- 3 Devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause.
"partisan politics"
- 1 devoted to a cause or party wordnet
- 1 An adherent to a party or faction.
""Strong partisans of neither party, Indiana farmers failed to act as a block […]""
- 2 A long-handled spear with a triangular, double-edged blade having lateral projections, in some forms also used in boar hunting. historical
"I had as lief have a reed that will do me no service as a partisan I could not heave."
- 3 a pike with a long tapering double-edged blade with lateral projections; 16th and 17th centuries wordnet
- 4 A fervent, sometimes militant, supporter or proponent of a party, cause, faction, person, or idea.
- 5 A soldier armed with such a weapon. obsolete
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 an ardent and enthusiastic supporter of some person or activity wordnet
- 7 A member of a band of detached light, irregular troops acting behind occupying enemy lines in the ways of harassment or sabotage; a guerrilla fighter.
- 8 a fervent and even militant proponent of something wordnet
- 9 The commander of a body of detached light troops engaged in making forays and harassing an enemy. archaic
Etymology
From French partisan, from Italian partigiano (“defender of a party”), from parte (“part”). Doublet of partigiano. Attested in English from the late 15th century in the noun sense of "party adherent", and in related adjective senses from the 16th century. The "guerrilla fighter" sense influenced by Serbo-Croatian partizan, Russian партиза́н (partizán), from the same source. The sense of "guerrilla fighter" is from c. 1690. The adjective in the military sense dates from the early 18th century.
From French partisan, from Italian partigiano (“defender of a party”), from parte (“part”). Doublet of partigiano. Attested in English from the late 15th century in the noun sense of "party adherent", and in related adjective senses from the 16th century. The "guerrilla fighter" sense influenced by Serbo-Croatian partizan, Russian партиза́н (partizán), from the same source. The sense of "guerrilla fighter" is from c. 1690. The adjective in the military sense dates from the early 18th century.
From French partizaine, from Middle French partizaine, partisanne etc., from Italian partigiana, related to Etymology 1 above (apparently because it was seen as a typical weapon of such forces).
See also for "partisan"
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