rapparee
əˈri noun
1.
an armed Irish freebooter or plunderer, especially of the 17th century.
2.
any freebooter or robber.
Origin:
1680–90; < Irish rapaire
1680–90; < Irish rapaire
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To rapparee
Collins
World English Dictionary
rapparee (ˌræpəˈriː) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | an Irish irregular soldier of the late 17th century |
| 2. | obsolete any plunderer or robber |
| [C17: from Irish rapairidhe pike, probably from English | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Rapparee
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
rapparee
"Irish freebooter," 1690, originally "pikeman," from Ir. rapairidhe, pl. of rapaire "half-pike." Kind of soldier prominent in the war of 1688-92.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
rapparee
any of the dispossessed native Irish who employed guerrilla methods to resist the English from the time of the English Civil Wars (1642-51) and more especially after the regular Irish army had surrendered in the Jacobite war (1689-91) in Ireland. They were termed rapparees after their weapons, short pikes (Irish: rapaire). The elusiveness of the rapparees confounded the British for a time, but superior forces, plus Britain's ability to insulate Ireland from foreign, particularly French, support, ended the insurgency.
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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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