gendarme

[ zhahn-dahrm; French zhahn-darm ]

noun

, plural gen·darmes [zhahn, -dahrmz, zhah, n, -, darm].

1. a police officer in any of several European countries, especially a French police officer.
2. a soldier, especially in France, serving in an army group acting as armed police with authority over civilians.
3. (formerly) a cavalryman in charge of a French cavalry squad.

gendarme

/ ʒɑ̃darm; ˈʒɒndɑːm /

noun

1. a member of the police force in France or in countries formerly influenced or controlled by France
2. a slang word for a policeman
3. a sharp pinnacle of rock on a mountain ridge, esp in the Alps

Word History and Origins

Origin of gendarme¹

1540–50; < Middle French, earlier gens d'armes, alteration of gent d'armes people at arms

Word History and Origins

Origin of gendarme¹

C16: from French, from gens d'armes people of arms

Example Sentences

Several attempts to cross the Channel were stopped by police and gendarmes on Sunday morning - including in Equihen-Plage, Calais and Sangatte - according to French authorities.

From BBC

Eleven people have since died – nine civilians and two French gendarmes - and there are still French police on the ground.

From BBC

“Closed. You’ll have to walk around,” a French gendarme had just told them, gesturing towards the south.

From BBC

Six people have been killed, including two gendarmes, and hundreds of others injured in New Caledonia amid armed clashes, looting and arson, raising new questions about Macron’s handling of France’s colonial legacy.

From Seattle Times

Four mobile gendarmerie squadrons are being deployed as reinforcements, including 15 gendarmes from an elite intervention unit.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• constable
• detective
• man
• officer
• patrolman
• patrolwoman
• police
• policewoman