spahi

or spa·hee

[ spah-hee ]

noun,plural spa·his.
  1. one of a body of Algerian cavalry in the French service.

  2. (formerly) a cavalryman in the Turkish army.

Origin of spahi

1
First recorded in 1555–65; from Middle French, from Turkish sipahi, from Persian sipāhī; cf. sepoy

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How to use spahi in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for spahi

spahi

spahee

/ (ˈspɑːhiː, ˈspɑːiː) /


nounplural -his or -hees
  1. (formerly) an irregular cavalryman in the Turkish armed forces

  2. a member of a body of native Algerian cavalrymen in the French armed forces: disbanded after Algerian independence

Origin of spahi

1
C16: from Old French, from Turkish sipahi, from Persian sipāhī soldier; see sepoy

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