Gendarme
/ˈʒɑːn.dɑːrm/noun
A French police officer, especially a member of a military or paramilitary police force.
Did you know?The word entered English through French from the medieval phrase *gens d’armes* (“men of arms”), showing how a term for armed retainers hardened into a state police identity.
Etymological Timeline
Medieval Latin
Latin
gentis armorum
“of armed men / men of arms”
Middle French
French
gens d'armes
“men-at-arms, armed soldiers”
16th Century
French
gendarme
“a man-at-arms; later, a member of the royal guard”
19th Century
English
gendarme
“a French police officer, especially one in a military-style force”
Modern English
English
gendarme
“a police officer in a gendarmerie or similar force”