apache

¹

[ uh-pahsh, uh-pash; French a-pash ]

noun

, plural a·paches [uh, -, pah, -shiz, uh, -, pash, -iz, a, -, pash].

1. a Parisian gangster, rowdy, or ruffian.

Apache

²

[ uh-pach-ee ]

noun

, plural A·pach·es, (especially collectively) A·pach·e

1. a member of an Athabascan people of the southwestern United States.
2. any of the several Athabascan languages of Arizona and the Rio Grande basin.
3. Military. a two-man U.S. Army helicopter designed to attack enemy armor with rockets or a 30mm gun and equipped for use in bad weather and in darkness.

adjective

1. of or relating to an Athabascan people of the southwestern United States or their language.

Apache

¹

/ əˈpætʃɪ /

noun

1. ApachesApache a member of a North American Indian people, formerly nomadic and warlike, inhabiting the southwestern US and N Mexico
2. the language of this people, belonging to the Athapascan group of the Na-Dene phylum

apache

²

/ əˈpɑːʃ; apaʃ; -ˈpæʃ /

noun

1. a Parisian gangster or ruffian

Word History and Origins

Origin of apache¹

1735–45, Americanism; < French: Apache

Origin of apache²

First recorded in 1915–20; from Mexican Spanish, perhaps from Zuni ʔa·paču “Navajos,” presumably applied formerly to the Apacheans (Navajos and Apaches) generally

Word History and Origins

Origin of apache¹

from Mexican Spanish, probably from Zuñi Apachu, literally: enemy

Origin of apache²

from French: Apache

Example Sentences

It isn’t enough to treat her with the doting brutality of an apache dancer toward his partner—which she understands, incidentally, whether you think so or not.

From Literature

Two apache attack helicopters hovered over the town, despite a thick pall of smoke from tyres set ablaze by Isis to to try to obscure aerial views of the town.

From The Guardian

Advertisement Here, Mr. Shepard’s apache dance of a drama comes across not only as exciting theater but also as world-class literature, the kind that balances in-the-moment detail with an echoing sense of eternity.

From New York Times

"We have to increase their air power to support them - apache helicopters."

From BBC

He’s Dad the destroyer, who mapped out the steps for the apache dance that defines his children’s lives.

From New York Times