Gurkha

[ gur-kuh, goor- ]

noun

, plural Gur·khas, (especially collectively) Gur·kha.

1. a member of a Rajput people, Hindu in religion, who achieved dominion over Nepal in the 18th century.
2. a Nepalese soldier in the British or Indian army.

Gurkha

/ ˈɡɜːkə; ˈɡʊəkɑː /

noun

1. a member of a Hindu people, descended from Brahmins and Rajputs, living chiefly in Nepal, where they achieved dominance after being driven from India by the Muslims
2. a member of this people serving as a soldier in the Indian or British army

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gurkha¹

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

He also served as a lieutenant in the Gurkha Rifles, fighting in the Malayan Emergency, a communist-inspired revolt against the British colonial authorities.

From BBC

For centuries, Nepali nationals were recruited by the British army to fight as famed Gurkha soldiers and later by India when it gained independence from Britain.

From Seattle Times

It largely prohibits its citizens from joining foreign armies - although there are exemptions for its ethnic Gurkha soldiers to join the Indian and British armies - but this ban is also hard to enforce.

From BBC

And earlier, Hari Budha Magar, a former Gurkha soldier who lives in Britain, summited Everest with prosthetic legs.

From BBC

Magar was born in a remote mountain village in Nepal and later was recruited by the British army as a Gurkha.

From Seattle Times