Chasseur
/ʃəˈsɜːr/noun
A hunter, especially a French soldier serving in a light infantry or cavalry unit.
Did you know?Napoleon’s chasseurs were famed light troops, and the word still survives in military names such as the Chasseurs Alpins, France’s mountain infantry.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kap-
“To seize or grasp”
Classical Latin
Latin
capere
“To take, seize, or capture”
Late Latin
Latin
captiare
“To pursue or try to catch”
Old French
Old French
chacier
“To hunt or chase”
Middle French
French
chasseur
“A hunter; literally, one who hunts”
18th Century
English
chasseur
“A French light infantryman or cavalryman”
Modern English
English
chasseur
“A hunter, especially a member of a French light military unit”