counterinsurgency en · NOUN
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Italic *-teros Proto-Italic *komterosder. Proto-Italic *komterād Latin contrāder. Old French contre- Anglo-Norman countre-bor. Middle English counter- English counter- English insurgent English -cy English insurgency English counterinsurgency From counter- + insurgency.
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) Any political or military action taken to defeat insurgency, especially during guerrilla warfare.
Mr. Petraeus almost single-handedly forced a profound evolution in the country’s military thinking and doctrine with his philosophy of counterinsurgency, focused more on protecting the civilian population than on killing enemies.
2012 November 9, Michael D. Shear, “Petraeus Quits; Evidence of Affair Was Found by F.B.I.”, in New York Times:The United States will continue to pursue a military and civilian counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| counterinsurgencies | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
pacification · COIN · antiinsurgency
Translations (1)
cmn 反叛亂 /反叛乱 (Translations)