Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A member of a Kurdish militia.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Armed Kurdish fighters.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a member of a Kurdish guerilla organization that fights for a free Kurdish state

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Kurdish pēšmerge : pēš, in front of, before; akin to Avestan paiti, against + merg, death; akin to Avestan mahrka-.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Kurdish. Literally, "those who face death" (pêş front + merg death + e is).

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Examples

  • The Kurdistan militia, known as the peshmerga, was put on alert Friday, and sent to the Turkish-Iraqi border that day.

    Iraqi Kurds Call for Turkish Troops to Leave 2008

  • Kurdish troops known as peshmerga are responsible for keeping order, and do.

    Friends in the Mountains 2007

  • The attack in Mosul killed at least two people near a checkpoint run by Iraqi security forces, Kurdish security forces known as the peshmerga, and U.S. troops.

    Fore, right! 2010

  • They are also demanding greater clarity on the role of, and more funding for, regional security forces known as the peshmerga, many of whom are former militia members who fought Saddam and complain of lower pay and fewer resources than their Iraqi army counterparts.

    KansasCity.com: Front Page 2010

  • The attack in Mosul killed at least two people near a checkpoint run by Iraqi security forces, Kurdish security forces known as the peshmerga, and U.S. troops.

    Durangoherald.com 2010

  • The Kurds have generally supported the patrols, but Arab and Turkomen officials complain the Kurdish forces, known as peshmerga, are being allowed to infiltrate territory which is not theirs.

    ajc.com - News REBECCA SANTANA 2010

  • They are also demanding greater clarity on the role of, and more funding for, regional security forces known as the peshmerga, many of whom are former militia members who fought Saddam and complain of lower pay and fewer resources than their Iraqi army counterparts.

    KansasCity.com: Front Page 2010

  • They are also demanding greater clarity on the role of, and more funding for, regional security forces known as the peshmerga, many of whom are former militia members who fought Saddam and complain of lower pay and fewer resources than their Iraqi army counterparts.

    Gaea Times (by Simple Thoughts) Breaking News and incisive views 24/7 Adam Schreck 2010

  • They are also demanding greater clarity on the role of, and more funding for, regional security forces known as the peshmerga, many of whom are former militia members who fought Saddam and complain of lower pay and fewer resources than their Iraqi army counterparts.

    WISTV - Local News RSS 2010

  • They are also demanding greater clarity on the role of, and more funding for, regional security forces known as the peshmerga, many of whom are former militia members who fought Saddam and complain of lower pay and fewer resources than their Iraqi army counterparts.

    Gaea Times (by Simple Thoughts) Breaking News and incisive views 24/7 Adam Schreck 2010

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  • Peshmerga, Peshmerge or Armed Forces of Kurdistan (Kurdish:Pêşmerge پێش مه‌رگه ‌‌) is the term used by Kurds to refer to armed Kurdish fighters. Literally meaning "those who face death" (Pesh front + marg death) the Peshmerga forces of Kurdistan have been in existence since the advent of the Kurdish independence movement in the early 1920s, following the collapse of the Ottoman and Qajar empires which had jointly ruled over the area.

    "Peshmerga." - Wikipedia., the free encyclopedia (17 August 2009) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peshmerga.

    August 17, 2009