lansquenet means any of a class of German mercenaries of the 15th and 16th centuries, most of whom were pikemen and foot soldiers. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
lansquenet is pronounced /ˈlɑːnskəˌnɛt/.
Why “lansquenet” is a great word
LANSQUENET — [Noun] A German mercenary foot soldier of the 15th and 16th centuries, or a gambling card game of chance. From the French lansquenet, from the German Landsknecht, from Lands ("of the land, country") + Knecht ("servant, soldier"). Unlike a condottiere, which denotes an Italian mercenary captain, or a pikeman, a soldier defined by his weapon, the lansquenet was the common, perilous coin of European conflict—a professional brawler for hire. His legacy flashes in the gaudy defiance of slashed silks, echoes in the clatter of pikes on cobblestone, and settles in the slap of cards on a tavern table. He turned violence into a trade, and his name, fittingly, became a game of purest chance.
Etymology
Borrowed from French lansquenet, from German Landsknecht, from Lands (“of the land”) + Knecht (“servant”). Doublet of Landsknecht.
noun
- Any of a class of German mercenaries of the 15th and 16th centuries, most of whom were pikemen and foot soldiers.“[…] arising out of this festival there was established an individual lansquenet tradition, in speech and outward appearance, and the bare, sunburnt necks of the vagabond soldiers, their baggy garments hanging in shreds, and their short swords, could be seen all over the country for long afterwards.”
- A gambling card game in which the dealer is given an initial card and the players another; cards are then turned up until the value (rank) of one of those cards is met.““I'm through with all pawn-games,” I laughed. “Come, let us have a game of lansquenet. Either I will take a farewell fall out of you or you will have your sevenfold revenge”.”