English Explanatory Dictionary

Gurkha

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A member of the dominant ethnic group in Nepal, with a Himalayan diaspora.
  2. A member of this people recruited to serve in their own elite units in the British and Indian armies.
adj
  1. Referring or belonging to the Gurkha people.
  2. Referring or belonging to Gurkha soldiers.

Pronunciation

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Gurkha.wav

Word forms

Gurkha Gurkhas Gorkha Ghurkha Ghoorka Goorka Goorkha more Gurkha most Gurkha

Etymology

From Nepali गोर्खा (gorkhā, “inhabitant of Gorkha”), from गोरखा (gorakhā)/गोर्खा (gorkhā, “Gorkha District”), from Sanskrit गोरक्ष (gorakṣa, “cowherd”) an epithet of the patron deity Gorakhnath, from गो (go, “cow”) + रक्ष् (rakṣ, “protect”).

Derived words

Gurkha knife

Translations

Burmese: ဂေါ်ရခါး Chinese Mandarin: 廓尔喀 Chinese Mandarin: 廓爾喀 /廓尔喀 Chinese Mandarin: 啹喀 Dutch: Gurkha Finnish: gurkha Finnish: gurkha-sotilas Gujarati: ગુરખો Hindi: गोरखा Nepali: गोर्खा Nepali: गोर्खाली Nepali: गोरखाली Norwegian Bokmål: gurkha Odia: ଗୋରଖା Spanish: gurja
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