Gurkha

Gur·kha

G0319300 (go͝or′kə)n.1. A member of a Rajput ethnic group predominant in Nepal.2. A member of this people serving in the British or Indian armies.

[Nepalese, from Sanskrit gorakṣaḥ, cowherd : Sanskrit gauḥ, cow; see g^wou- in Indo-European roots + Sanskrit rakṣati, he protects.]

Gurkha

(ˈɡʊəkɑː; ˈɡɜːkə) n, pl -khas or -kha1. (Peoples) a member of a Hindu people, descended from Brahmins and Rajputs, living chiefly in Nepal, where they achieved dominance after being driven from India by the Muslims2. (Military) a member of this people serving as a soldier in the Indian or British army

Gur•kha

(ˈgɜr kə, ˈgʊər-)

n. a Nepalese soldier in the British or Indian army. [1805–15]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	Gurkha - a member of the Nepalese force that has been part of the British army for 200 years; known for fierceness in combatsoldier - an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army; "the soldiers stood at attention"
	2.	Gurkha - a member of Hindu people descended from brahmins and Rajputs who live in NepalNepalese, Nepali - a native or inhabitant of Nepal

Translations

Gurkha

(go͝or`kə), ethnic group of NepalNepal
, independent nation (2015 est. pop. 28,656,000), c.54,000 sq mi (139,860 sq km), central Asia. Landlocked and isolated by the Himalayas, Nepal is bordered on the west, south, and east by India, and on the N by the Tibet region of China. Katmandu is the capital.
..... Click the link for more information. and neighboring areas. They claim descent from the RajputsRajputs
[Sanskrit,=son of a king], dominant people of Rajputana, an historic region now almost coextensive with the state of Rajasthan, NW India. The Rajputs are mainly Hindus (although there are some Muslim Rajputs) of the warrior caste; traditionally they have put great value
..... Click the link for more information. of N India and entered Nepal from the west after being driven from India. They conquered (early 16th cent.) the small Nepalese state of Gurkha (or Gorkha) and henceforth called themselves Gurkhas. They expanded eastward, and by the mid-18th cent. had established their authority over all of Nepal. Their invasion of Tibet in 1791 brought Chinese retaliation, and a war (1814–16) with the British in India resulted in bringing strong British influence to Nepal. The Gurkhas, predominantly Tibeto-Mongolians, speak Khas, a Rajasthani dialect of Sanskritic origin. Under the Gurkha dynasty, Hinduism became the state religion of Nepal. Gurkhas in the region around DarjeelingDarjeeling
or Darjiling
, town (1991 pop. 73,062), West Bengal state, NE India, near the border of Sikkim state. Its most famous product is tea, a major cash crop in the region.
..... Click the link for more information. in West Bengal state, India, have agitated for a separate state. Gurkhas have served in the armies of India and of Great Britain; 33 battalions served alongside the British in World War I, and 45 battalions in World War II. Gurkha soldiers bear the famed kukri, a short curved sword.

Bibliography

See studies by H. James and D. Sheil-Small (1965) and D. L. Bolt (1967, repr. 1969).

Gurkha

a member of a Hindu people, descended from Brahmins and Rajputs, living chiefly in Nepal, where they achieved dominance after being driven from India by the Muslims

Gurkha

Gur·kha

Gurkha

Gur•kha

Gurkha

Gurkha

Bibliography

Gurkha

Gurkha

Words related to Gurkha

noun a member of the Nepalese force that has been part of the British army for 200 years

Related Words

noun a member of Hindu people descended from brahmins and Rajputs who live in Nepal

Related Words