guerrilla

Where does the word "guerrilla" come from? It comes from Spanish guerra, passing through Spanish before entering English (1800s).

Guerrilla’s story begins in Spanish: guerra meant “war.” Within Spanish, it grew into guerrilla by 1800s. Literally "little war", describing irregular resistance fighters. It reached English by 1800s as guerrilla. Adopted following the Peninsular War against Napoleon. Today, guerrilla means a member of an irregular armed force fighting unconventional warfare.

1. Stage 1 · Spanish · medieval guerra "war", meaning "war".
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1800s guerrilla "irregular warfare, a small band of fighters", literally "little war", describing irregular resistance fighters.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1800s guerrilla "an irregular fighter using unconventional tactics", adopted following the Peninsular War against Napoleon.