guerrilla

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: guer=ril=la

CIDE DICTIONARY

guerrilla, n. [Sp., lit., a little war, skirmish, dim. of guerra war, fr. OHG. werra discord, strife. See War.].

•  An irregular mode of carrying on war, by the constant attacks of independent bands, adopted in the north of Spain during the Peninsular war.  [1913 Webster]
•  One who carries on, or assists in carrying on, irregular warfare; especially, a member of an independent band engaged in predatory excursions in war time.  [1913 Webster]

  " The term guerrilla is the diminutive of the Spanish word guerra, war, and means petty war, that is, war carried on by detached parties; generally in the mountains. . . . A guerrilla party means, an irregular band of armed men, carrying on an irregular war, not being able, according to their character as a guerrilla party, to carry on what the law terms a regular war. F. Lieder. "  F. Lieder.  [1913 Webster]

guerrilla, a. 

 Pertaining to, or engaged in, warfare carried on irregularly and by independent bands; as, a guerrilla party; guerrilla warfare.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

guerrilla, n. (also guerilla) a member of a small independently acting (usu. political) group taking part in irregular fighting, esp. against larger regular forces.

Idiom

guerrilla war (or warfare) fighting by or with guerrillas.

Etymology

Sp. guerrilla, dimin. of guerra war

THESAURUS

guerrilla

Charley, VC, Vietcong, bushfighter, bushwhacker, casual, guerilla, insurgent, irregular, maquis, maquisard, partisan, patriot, resistance, resistance fighter, saboteur, terrorist, underground, underground fighter