sepoy

[ see-poi ]
/ ˈsi pɔɪ /

noun

(formerly, in India) a native soldier, usually an infantryman, in the service of Europeans, especially of the British.

Origin of sepoy

1675–85, in sense “horseman”; 1710–20 for current sense; variant of sipahi < Urdu < Persian sipāhī horseman, soldier, derivative of sipāh army; cf. spahi

Words nearby sepoy

sepia, sepik, sepiolite, sepmag, sepn., sepoy, sepoy rebellion, seppo, seppuku, sepsis, sept

Example sentences from the Web for sepoy

British Dictionary definitions for sepoy

sepoy
/ (ˈsiːpɔɪ) /

noun

(formerly) an Indian soldier in the service of the British

Word Origin for sepoy

C18: from Portuguese sipaio, from Urdu sipāhī, from Persian: horseman, from sipāh army