Chetnik

[ chet-neek, chet-nik ]

noun

1. a member of a Serbian nationalist group that fought against the Turks in the early part of the 20th century and carried on guerrilla warfare during World War I and II.

Chetnik

/ ˈtʃɛtnɪk; tʃɛtˈniːk /

noun

1. a Serbian nationalist belonging to a group that fought against the Turks before World War I and engaged in guerrilla warfare during both World Wars
2. a member of a Serbian nationalist paramilitary group fighting to retain Serbian influence in the countries which formerly constituted Yugoslavia

Word History and Origins

Origin of Chetnik¹

1905–10; < Serbo-Croatian čȅtnīk guerrilla, equivalent to čȅt ( a ) troop (cognate with Old Russian cheta, Czech četa ) + -nīk agent suffix ( -nik )

Word History and Origins

Origin of Chetnik¹

from Serbian četnik, from četa troop

Example Sentences

In “brb” a supposedly 17-year-old boy writes his online American girlfriend: “Croatia is not that different from Florida. . . . Like your Confederates, Chetnik Serbs still curse at us and say we are the aggressor, the destroyer of the Republic.”

From Washington Post

Romania’s Intelligence Service said Tuesday that Bratislav Zivkovic, 42, is a commander of Serbia’s Chetnik paramilitary and went to Crimea in 2014-15 to support Russia’s annexation there.

From Washington Times

Romania’s Intelligence Service said Tuesday that Bratislav Zivkovic, 42, is a commander of Serbia’s Chetnik paramilitary and went to Crimea in 2014-15 to support Russia’s annexation there.

From Seattle Times

"In any case, the cap is part of the folklore, the traditional outfit of people here. When it comes to the insignia in the photo, that wasn't the Chetnik insignia - it was the insignia of the old Yugoslav army from the First World War, in which many Bosniaks served."

From BBC

The ghost of Mihailovic's ultra-nationalist Chetnik fighters was revived by some Serb paramilitaries as they fought to carve out a Greater Serbia during Yugoslavia's bloody disintegration.

From Reuters