noun
gendarme
zhon-DAHM
noun
1
A member of a military force assigned to police duties, especially in France.
"A gendarme directed traffic around the accident."
2
A tall, narrow rock formation along a mountain ridge, resembling a standing sentry.
"Climbers had to scramble around the gendarme near the summit."
How to Use Gendarme
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA French military police officer, or a rock spire on a mountain ridge.
Word Forms
gendarmes plural, gensdarmes plural
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A _____ directed traffic around the accident.
Etymology
From French gendarme, originally a back-formation from gens d'armes, "people of arms."