Soldateska

See also: soldateska

German

Etymology

17th century, from Italian soldatesca. Doublet of soldatisch, which has quite the opposite sense of “soldierly”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zɔl.daˈtɛs.ka/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

Soldateska f (genitive Soldateska, plural (rare) Soldatesken)

1. (obsolete) soldiers collectively, army
2. (derogatory) a band of marauding, unscrupulous soldiers
3. (by abstraction) the mentality of such soldiers, the marauding and war crimes themselves

Descendants

• → Finnish: soldateska