Wiktionary:Word of the day/2024/January 2

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for January 2

dragoon n

(military) (weaponry, historical) Synonym of dragon (“a type of musket with a short, large-calibre barrel and a flared muzzle, metaphorically exhaling fire like a mythical dragon”) (by extension) Originally (historical), a soldier armed with a dragoon musket (sense 1.1) who fought both on foot and mounted on a horse; now, a cavalier or horse soldier from a regiment formerly armed with such muskets. (by extension) A man with a fierce or unrefined manner, like a dragoon (sense 1.2). A variety of pigeon, originally a cross between a horseman and a tumbler. dragoon v (transitive) (Christianity, French politics, historical) To subject (a Huguenot) to the dragonnades (“a policy instituted by Louis XIV of France in 1681 to intimidate Protestant Huguenots to convert to Roman Catholicism by billeting dragoons (noun sense 1.2) in their homes to abuse them and destroy or steal their possessions”). (by extension) Chiefly followed by into: to force (someone) into doing something through harassment and intimidation; to coerce. Synonym: compel (military, historical) To cause (someone) to be attacked by dragoons.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →