Lashkar
/ˈlæʃ.kɑːr/noun
An army, military force, or large armed group, especially in South Asian historical usage.
Did you know?The same Persian military term traveled into Arabic as ʿaskar and helped produce English words such as “askari” and “lascar.”
Etymological Timeline
Middle Persian
Middle Persian
laškar
“Army or military force”
9th–10th Century
New Persian
laškar / لشکر
“Army, host, or organized armed force”
Medieval Period
Arabic
ʿaskar / عسكر
“Army or military camp; borrowed from Persian laškar”
Medieval Period
Arabic and Persian
ʿaskarī / lashkarī
“Military or soldierly; a member of an army”
16th–19th Century
English
lashkar
“An army or armed force, particularly in accounts of South Asian warfare”
Modern English
English
lashkar
“A military force or armed group”