palikar

noun

pal·​i·​kar

variants or less commonly palicar

ˈpaləˌkär

plural -s

1

: a Greek or Albanian soldier in the pay of the sultan of Turkey

2

: a soldier of the Greek militia in the war of independence (1821–28) against Turkey

Word History

Etymology

New Greek palikari, pallēkari youth, from Late Greek pallikarion page, diminutive of pallēk-, pallēx young man or woman

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!