paramilitary unit
1
7.4
- noun
- /ˌpærəˈmɪlɪtɛri ˈjunɪt/
:
unidad paramilitar
- The government took action against the paramilitary unit that was operating outside the law.
- local paramilitary unit
- own paramilitary unit
Examples
-
The purpose of the change in name was to give substance to the fusion of the regular and irregular armed units that were then operating in the country, an exercise that was not wholly successful as a number of armed and paramilitary units continued to be affiliated with the various political parties, thereby complicating and even challenging the military authority of the TRI.
Academic text (2000) -
Seven paramilitary units fighting over a hundred grand is... a 14 grand split.
-
But direct confrontations between the security forces and paramilitary units have been rare.
Academic text (1999) -
A covert paramilitary unit from the former Soviet Union.
-
More often, state agents have merely looked the other way when paramilitary units have committed atrocities.
Academic text (1999) -
It attributed 93 percent of the human rights crimes committed during the war to the army and its paramilitary units (and just 3 percent to the URNG).
Academic text (2000) -
Nor does the existence of a rebellion or the activity of guerrilla or paramilitary units of itself cause the occupation to cease, provided the occupant is effectively displaced for any length of time; its position towards the inhabitants is the same as before occupation.
Academic text (2000) -
These requirements are made quite clear by the third sentence of Paragraph 360: "Nor does the existence of a rebellion or the activity of guerrilla or paramilitary units of itself cause the occupation to cease, provided the occupant could at any time it desired assume physical control of any part of the territory."
Academic text (2000) -
In order to handle any large-scale public unrest that might materialize, the forces of the People's Armed Police, the paramilitary units responsible for maintaining order in China's major cities, have been strengthened.
Academic text (1993) -
During the conflict, many paramilitary units were accused of human rights violations.
Synonyms
553
5.8
An organized group of ordinary people who act as soldiers in emergencies
14
8.0
A group of armed civilians organized like soldiers outside the regular army
4
6.8
A group of people trained like soldiers to act with or for the army
2
6.5
A group of civilians trained and armed like soldiers to support or replace the army
A French armed group that helped the Nazis during World War II
A group that looks and acts like an army but is not official
How Military
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'paramilitary' (resembling military forces) modifies 'unit' (a group), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a group organized in a military-like way. This head–modifier structure is straightforward and common cross-linguistically, so the expression is predictable for B1 learners who know the constituents.
Etymology
Paramilitary unit comes from the parts para, meaning 'beside', and military, meaning 'army', which gives the picture of a group standing next to the army but not part of it. So, it means 'a group of civilians organized like soldiers who work alongside or instead of the official military'.