guerrilla

noun geh-RREE-yah Less Common

Origin: Diminutive of Spanish guerra ('war'); the term entered English directly from Spanish during the Napoleonic Wars.

Also means

guerrilla warfare

Usage Note

Guerrilla is both the fighting tactic (irregular warfare) and the group that uses it. In modern Spanish it nearly always refers to an armed irregular group, while the tactics themselves are guerra de guerrillas. The word was exported into English from Spanish and retains the same spelling. The plural is guerrillas.

Examples

"La guerrilla operaba en zonas rurales."

Natural Translation

The guerrilla operated in rural areas.

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