bersagliere

[ ber-suh l-yair-ee; Italian ber-sah-lye-re ]
/ ˌbɛr səlˈyɛər i; Italian ˌbɛr sɑˈlyɛ rɛ /

noun, plural ber·sa·glie·ri [ber-suh l-yair-ee; Italian ber-sah-lye-ree] /ˌbɛr səlˈyɛər i; Italian ˌbɛr sɑˈlyɛ ri/.

one of a class of riflemen or sharpshooters in the Italian army.

Origin of bersagliere

1860–65; < Italian: literally, marksman, equivalent to bersagl(io) target (< Old French bersail; bers(er) to hunt (perhaps < Germanic; compare Middle High German birsen, German birschen, pirschen to hunt) + -ail noun suffix) + -iere -ary

Words nearby bersagliere

berry aneurysm, berry spoon, berry, chuck, berryfruit, berryman, bersagliere, berseem, berserk, bert, berth, bertha

Example sentences from the Web for bersagliere

  • A Bersagliere prisoner who recognised the King, at a sign from him gave the required testimony, and he was allowed to pass.

    The Liberation of Italy |Countess Evelyn Martinengo-Cesaresco

  • An Austrian corporal fell, mortally wounded by a Bersagliere whom he conjured, in Italian, to listen to what he had got to say.

    The Liberation of Italy |Countess Evelyn Martinengo-Cesaresco

  • Loud voices are singing the Bersagliere hymn as a duet under my window.

    Recollections Of My Childhood And Youth |George Brandes

  • A newsboy was calling out the Fanfulla and the Bersagliere for sale.

    The conquest of Rome |Matilde Serao

British Dictionary definitions for bersagliere

bersagliere
/ (ˌbɛəsɑːˈljɛərɪ) /

noun plural -ri (-riː)

a member of a rifle regiment in the Italian Army

Word Origin for bersagliere

C19: from Italian, from bersaglio target, from Old French bersail, from berser to fire at