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Glite Dictionary
Ulster Defence Association

Ulster Defence Association

9.8
An illegal Protestant loyalist armed group in Northern Ireland that fought during the Troubles and attacked Catholic civilians
  • proper noun
  • NSFW
translation icon : Asociación de Defensa de Ulster
  • A member of the Ulster Defence Association spoke about the group's influence in the community.

Examples

  • Many people remember the Ulster Defence Association for its controversial actions.

  • The Ulster Defence Association was known for its paramilitary activities during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

  • After the peace agreement, the Ulster Defence Association announced a ceasefire.

  • Authorities linked several violent incidents in Belfast to the Ulster Defence Association.

  • The Ulster Defence Association played a significant role during the Northern Ireland conflict known as the Troubles.

  • The Ulster Defence Association was involved in many violent incidents.

  • The Ulster Defence Association was involved in several high-profile incidents throughout the conflict.

Synonyms

UDA
vsUlster Defence Association
  • NSFW
9.9

A Protestant armed group in Northern Ireland that carried out violence and crime during the Troubles

is the full official name rather than the shortened form

Surface Forms

Ulster Defence Association main

Morphology

Ulster + defense + association

The words 'Ulster' (a place), 'Defence' and 'Association' transparently indicate a group in Ulster concerned with defense, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would infer it is an organization related to defence in that region. However, the specific identity as a Protestant loyalist paramilitary organization involved in violence and criminality is not derivable from the components and requires cultural/political knowledge, making the term only partially transparent.

Etymology

Ulster Defence Association began in Northern Ireland when local Protestants formed a group to 'protect' their area. The name shows this: Ulster is the region, Defence means protecting, and Association means a group, so the name came to mean the armed group set up to protect those communities.