hussar

Where does the word "hussar" come from? It comes from Hungarian huszár, and was adopted directly into English (1500s-1600s).

Hussar’s story begins in Hungarian: huszár meant “a raider, light cavalryman.” Possibly from Old Serbian "husar" (raider, from Latin "cursarius", corsair). It reached English by 1500s-1600s as hussar. Hungarian light horsemen whose dashing uniforms were copied by armies across Europe. Today, hussar means historically, a soldier in a light cavalry regiment, known for elaborate uniforms.

1. Stage 1 · Hungarian · medieval huszár "a raider, light cavalryman", possibly from Old Serbian "husar" (raider, from Latin "cursarius", corsair).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1500s-1600s hussar "a member of a light cavalry unit", Hungarian light horsemen whose dashing uniforms were copied by armies across Europe.