gendarme

noun gen·darme \ˈzhän-ˌdärm also ˈjän-\

: a police officer; especially : a police officer in a country where French is spoken

Full Definition of GENDARME

: a member of a body of soldiers especially in France serving as an armed police force for the maintenance of public order

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French, from Middle French, back-formation from gensdarmes, plural of gent d'armes, literally, armed people

First Known Use: 1793

Synonyms: bobby [British], bull [slang], constable [chiefly British], cop, copper, flatfoot [slang], fuzz, officer, lawman, policeman, police officer, shamus [slang]

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