panzer

[ pan-zer; German pahn-tsuhr ]

adjective

1. (especially in the German army) armored:

   a panzer unit.

2. of or relating to a panzer division:

   a panzer attack.

noun

1. a vehicle, especially a tank, forming part of a German panzer division.

panzer

/ ˈpænzə; ˈpantsər /

noun

1. modifier of, relating to, or characteristic of the fast mechanized armoured units employed by the German army in World War II

   a panzer attack

2. a vehicle belonging to a panzer unit, esp a tank
3. plural armoured troops

Word History and Origins

Origin of panzer¹

1935–40; < German Panzer armor; Middle High German panzier < Old French panciere coat of mail, literally, belly piece. See paunch, -ier ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of panzer¹

C20: from German, from Middle High German, from Old French panciere coat of mail, from Latin pantex paunch

Example Sentences

It became explicit at exactly 4.30am on Friday 1 September 1939, when the German panzer divisions that had been gathering on the Polish border began their advance.

From The Guardian

There were tanks too—panzers, they called them—great rumbling things with treads that clanked and cannons that swiveled on top.

From Literature

On the other, she’s more than primed to use her skills at panzer kunst — a made-up martial art form — to bash in the skulls of her enemies, or to dismember them without a second thought.

From Washington Post

For his part, Korda believes the three-day rest break was designed to prepare the panzer divisions for the decisive encounter with the French army while delaying an advance in the marshy terrain of Flanders.

From Washington Times

“This is why he is using the tanks, panzers, and cannons in a merciless way against the crowds,” he said in reference to a series of large-scale security operations in southeast Turkey.

From Seattle Times