laager
/ˈlɑːɡə
/noun
1South African historical An encampment formed by a circle of wagons.They had captured the Boer laagers and set their ammunition dump alight....
- Every morning my brother and I had our horses fetched from the grazing-ground and rode out to visit neighbouring camps and laagers, eager to see all that we could.
- His armies were infantry and dragoon based, using wagon laagers mounted with light cannons to protect against cavalry charges.
2An entrenched position or viewpoint that is defended against opponents: an educational laager, isolated from the outside world...
- What is instead being dangled in front of Ulster's Unionists is a retreat into the laager.
- Johannesburg is rapidly being surrounded by a laager of Eurotrash casinos.
- He has returned to the laager, and chosen to travel the conservative route.
verb [with object] South African historical
1Form (vehicles) into a laager: Van Rensburg’s wagons were not laagered, but scattered about...
- It was simply impossible to observe, even though we laagered several vehicles to shield us from the wind.
1.1 [no object] Make camp: the troops crossed the river to laager for the night...
- Chelmsford deliberately did not entrench or laager, determined to show that his troops could face Zulus in the open.
- The Mediterranean was sighted for the first time and we laagered on the edge of the Sinai desert.
- But by dusk both Divisions had crossed, and laagered that night 2 miles north of the Amatikulu.
Origin
South African Dutch, from Dutch leger, lager 'camp'. Compare with lager, lair1, and leaguer2.