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gen·darme

(zhändärm′, zhäɴ′därm)

1. A member of the French national police organization constituting a branch of the armed forces with responsibility for general law enforcement.

2. Slang A police officer.

3. A subsidiary pinnacle on a steep mountain ridge.

[French, from Old French gent d'armes, gendarme, sing. of gens d'armes, mounted soldiers, men-at-arms : gens, people, men (from Latin gentēs, pl. of gēns, clan; see genə- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots) + de, of (from Latin dē; see DE-) + armes, pl. of arme, weapon; see ARM².]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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