fedayeen
/ˌfɛdəˈjiːn
/ /fəˈdɑːjiːn/(also fidayeen)
plural noun
Arab guerrillas operating especially against Israel: he attempted to obtain clemency for members of the Islamic fedayeen...
- He had a firefight with the fedayeen and some of them got killed.
- After the defeat of the dictator, she was reluctant to return as the fedayeen were still operating in the town.
- The delegitimization of resisting combatants is continued in accompanying descriptions of the activities of the fedayeen and other militias.
Origin
1950s: from colloquial Arabic fidā'iyīn, plural of classical Arabic fidā'ī 'one who gives his life for another or for a cause', from fadā 'to ransom someone'. The singular fedai (from Arabic and Persian fidā'ī) had previously been used (late 19th century) to denote an Ismaili Muslim assassin.