hussar means A member of the national cavalry of Hungary, Croatia and Poland. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 84 out of 100.
hussar is pronounced /ˈhʌsə(ɹ)/.
Why “hussar” is a great word
HUSSAR — [Noun] A member of a class of light cavalry, originally of Hungarian origin, noted for their flamboyant dress and used in many European armies. From French hussard, from Hungarian huszár (“cavalryman”), from Serbo-Croatian gusar (“corsair, pirate”), from Byzantine Greek χωσάριος, χονσάριος (khōsários, khonsários) or from Italian corsaro (“corsair”), from Medieval Latin cursārius (“pirate”), from Latin cursus (“a running, course”), from currō (“to run”). First attested in English in the 1530s. Unlike a “dragoon”—a mounted infantryman of heavier, utilitarian purpose—or a “cavalier”—a general term for a gentleman horseman—the hussar was a specialist in swift, audacious light cavalry tactics. He is the flash of gold braid in a swirling dust cloud, the percussive thunder of hooves on hard earth, and the lethal blur of a curved saber descending—a pirate’s soul disciplined into a soldier’s form, proving that terror, too, can wear a uniform.
Etymology
Borrowed from French hussard, from Hungarian huszár (“cavalryman”), from Serbo-Croatian gusar (“corsair”), from Byzantine Greek χωσάριος, χονσάριος (khōsários, khonsários) or from Italian corsaro (“corsair”), from Medieval Latin cursārius (“pirate”), from Latin cursus (“running”), from currō (“run”). Doublet of corsair and courser.
noun
- A member of the national cavalry of Hungary, Croatia and Poland.
- A member of the light cavalry of any of several European armies.
name
- A village in Alberta, Canada.
- A surname.