para

paratrooper

noun PA-ra Rare

Also means

para

Usage Note

para is an informal shortening of parachutiste (parachutist, paratrooper), widely used in military speech and journalism. French paras played prominent roles in the Indochina and Algeria conflicts. The word is also used in compound forms like commando para.

Examples

"Les paras ont sauté à l'aube."

Natural Translation

The paratroopers jumped at dawn.

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