partisan

Meanings

Noun

• An adherent to a party or faction.
• A fervent, sometimes militant, supporter or proponent of a party, cause, faction, person, or idea.
• A member of a band of detached light, irregular troops acting behind occupying enemy lines in the ways of harassment or sabotage; a guerrilla fighter.
• The commander of a body of detached light troops engaged in making forays and harassing an enemy.
• A long-handled spear with a triangular, double-edged blade having lateral projections, in some forms also used in boar hunting.
• A soldier armed with such a weapon.

Adjective

• Serving as commander or member of a body of detached light troops.
• Adherent to a party or faction; especially, having the character of blind, passionate, or unreasonable adherence to a party.
• Devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause.

Origin

• From French partisan, from Italian partigiano ("defender of a party"), from parte. partigiano. Attested in English from the late 15th century in the noun sense of "party adherent", and in related adjective senses from the 16th century. The "guerilla fighter" sense influenced by Serbo-Croatian partizan, Russian партиза́н, from the same source.
• The sense of "guerilla fighter" is from c. 1690.
• The adjective in the military sense dates from the early 18th century.
• From French partizaine, from Middle French partizaine, partisanne etc., from Italian partigiana, related to Etymology 1 above (apparently because it was seen as a typical weapon of such forces).