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fedayeen

 - 3 dictionary results

fe⋅da⋅yee

  [fe-dah-yee]
Use fedayeen in a Sentence
–noun, plural -yeen  [-yeen] .
a member of an Arab commando group operating esp. against Israel.
Origin:
1950–55; < dial. Ar fidāʾī (pl. fidāʾīyīn) one who sacrifices himself (esp. for his country)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To fedayeen
fe·da·yee   (fě-dä'yē', -dä'ē', -dā'-)   
n.   pl. fe·da·yeen (-yēn', -ēn')
A commando or guerrilla, especially an Arab commando operating in the Middle East.

[Arabic fidā'ī, one who sacrifices himself, from fidā', sacrifice, ransom, from fadā, to sacrifice, ransom; see pdy in Semitic roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

fedayeen 
partisans or irregulars in the Middle East, from Ar. pl. of fedai "devotee, zealot, one who risks life for a cause," from Pers. fidai.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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